


Beauty of the dark

by biancaviolet



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV), The Vampire Diaries - L. J. Smith
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Coming of Age, Doppelganger, Drama, F/M, Flashbacks, Love Triangles, Multi, Original Character(s), Paranormal, Romance, Supernatural Elements, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-09-17
Packaged: 2019-06-18 10:55:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15484215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/biancaviolet/pseuds/biancaviolet
Summary: This is what I imagine if Elena had another doppelganger. Paige is an innocent girl next door, who moves to Fells Church because of mysterious animal attacks. There she meets the Salvatore Brothers and other friends. Her values and beliefs are tested. She comes from a long line of hunters.





	1. Pilot

Damon's POV  
I've never wanted to come back here. A promise that I've made held me back. I had to go back to her grave. It was the 200th anniversary of her death. I needed to pay my respects to Elena. I still remember the news reports that morning. I was at the cemetery in front of her tombstone. I placed flowers in front of her grave.  
"It's sad, isn't it?" Elena asked.  
My mind was playing tricks on me.  
"What are you doing here?" I asked.  
"I'm not really here. It's all inside your head. You're imagining me here. I'm only allowed to be here for a little while." She said as I held her face.  
"Just stay. I can love you." I said as she gently removed my hands from her face.  
"I can't stay." She said.  
"I know." I said.  
Then she slowly disappeared. I left the cemetery. I've been having crazy mind games. They're all about Elena. They feel so real. They're hallucinations. I refuse to feel them. I've done my task. It's time for me to go. Now I'm at the grill. I was sitting at the bar. I've had so many shots, I've lost count. Then I heard Elena's voice. It must be a mind game again. Then I heard another voice. It wasn't a voice I recognised. I didn't dare turn around. I will not turn around. My back was turned away from the voices. The voices sound so real. Elena was dead. It couldn't be Elena. I heard the voices again. I couldn't help but eavesdrop.  
"How come I never seen you before?" The other girl asked.  
"I'm sort of new town." Elena's voice said.  
"You will be going to Robert E. Lee in the autumn, right?" The other girl asked.  
"Yeah that's the plan." Elena's voice said.  
I can tell that she wasn't Elena. She wasn't as sure of herself. I couldn't resist from turning around. I have to know her. I turned around. She had the same pale blond hair and crystal blue eyes. Her hair was past her waist. She was petite. I found myself staring at her. The other girl noticed my intense stare.  
"The guy over there is staring at you." The other girl said.  
Then Elena look alike looked over at me.  
"No, he's totally not." Elena look alike said.  
Then I walked over to them. I was in front of them.  
"Excuse me for staring. I'm new in town." I said.  
"That's funny. So is Paige." The other girl said.  
"I'm Damon Salvatore." I said as took Paige's hand and kissed it.  
"Do you mind if I take this chair?" I asked.  
"No not at all." Paige said as I sat next to her.  
"So what brings you here?" I asked.  
"I can see that he only wants to talk to you." Paige's friend said.  
She stood up.  
"It was nice meeting you." Paige's friend said.  
"Aria." Paige said.  
"I'll see you later, yeah." Aria said.  
Then she left us alone. She went out the door.  
"We're alone. I thought she'd never leave." I said.  
I think she's one of those innocent girls. This will be fun.  
"What brings you here?" I asked.  
"Do you always talk to women this way?" She asked.  
I chuckled.  
"You have no idea." I said.  
"Where do you live?" I asked.  
"I live in the white house in Aimee." She said.  
"What about you?" She asked.  
"I live at the boarding house." I said.  
"Who do you live with?" I asked.  
"I live with my dad." She said.  
"What about your mum?" I asked.  
"My mum died from cancer when I was around thirteen." She said.  
"I'm sorry. It must have been hard." I said.  
"No it's fine. It was a long time ago." She said.  
We're in silence for a moment.  
"What am I telling you this? I don't even know you." She said.  
"Then by all means, get to know me." I said.  
"I don't know. I think I might like that." She said.  
"About you and I get out of here..." I said.  
"What?" She asked.  
"You know what never mind." I said.  
I can't do that to her. She's more than just a shag. She's worth more than that.  
"You know lots of guys want to get in my pants. But not you." She said.  
"Nah." I said.  
Then she looked at her mobile. It was getting late. She probably needs to go.  
"It's time to go home." She said.  
"Oh sure go ahead." I said.  
"I'll see you around." She said.  
"Looking forward to it." I said.  
She went out the door.  
Paige's POV  
I went to my car. I kept thinking about my conversation with Damon. Why would a guy like that would fancy a girl like me? I can't get distracted right now. I have to focus on my studies. He could've went to Aria. She's more experienced than I am. I knew who I was. I was a vampire hunter's daughter. Was I just a goody-goody? I try to do everything right. I wanted to be more than that. I wanted to be something new. I hope moving to this town can be a good thing. All of sudden, it became really quiet. I turned around. No one was there. That was weird. Something's not right. I grabbed a stake from the boot of the car to protect myself. I got in a fighting position. Then something came swiftly toward me in vampire speed. In a blink the vampire lunged at me. He grabbed me by the throat. My feet were dangling in the air. I bit his hand to get him off me. He got off me. He was taken a back by this. I tried to kick him in the groin. He grabbed my leg. I put it down. Then he vamped out. I screamed. He went for my neck.  
Damon's POV  
I heard Paige scream. I ran outside. She was being attacked by a vampire. He was sucking her dry. I pulled her off him. She fell on the ground. I took his heart out. He collapsed to his death. He threw his heart. I knelt to the ground. She had a bite mark on her neck. What am I going to do?  
"I'm going to get you get of here." I said.  
I picked her up bridal style. I carried her to my car. I put her in the car. I drove her to the hospital. I got out of the car because we arrived. I carried her inside. Some doctors and nurses surrounded me.  
"She got attacked by some kind of animal." I said.  
Then they took her away in a gurney. I was left alone. I put my hands in frustration. I'm worried about her. She can't die. I won't let that happen. There has to be another way. I could heal her. I walked to her hospital wing and saw her. She wasn't conscious. I bit my arm and gave it to her. She drank it. Then I left her alone. At least I know she'll be safe. I waited in the lobby. Then a man in his mid-thirties came rushing in. He went to the front desk.  
"I'm here to see Paige Songbird. Where is she?" He said.  
"Mr. Songbird. Calm down. Everything's going to be OK. We're doing everything we can. She's going to be alright." The woman at the front desk said.  
"I can't just sit here." He said.  
Then the woman stopped talking to him. She continued to do her work.  
Then he sat down.  
"Hi. You must be Paige's dad." I said.  
"And you are?" He asked.  
"Damon Salvatore. I'm the one who found her." I said.  
"Thank you. If it wasn't for you. I don't what would have happened." He said.  
"It's no problem. You know she's something. She's really sweet." I said.  
"Yeah she is. How do you know her?" He said.  
Was he playing the dad card? I don't know.  
"I just met her today at the grill." I said.  
"Do you have like a thing..." He asked.  
"Oh no. We're just friends. I wouldn't." I said.  
"Good. Let's it keep it that way. I don't want my little girl getting hurt." He said.  
Then a nurse came out to report the news about Paige. I hope she's alright.  
"She's fine. She's talking." The woman said.  
Her dad and I went to her room. He went inside. I stayed behind. I watched them from the window. She was lying on the hospital bed. When she saw him she gave him a hug. Then I went inside. I can't let her know what I am.  
"Can you give us a minute?" I asked.  
"Sure. Go ahead." He said.  
Then he left us alone.  
"Hi. How are you feeling?" I said.  
"I'm great." She said.  
Then I sat down on a chair.  
"What do you remember?" I asked.  
"I remember that something attacked me." She said.  
"Do you know what attacked you?" I asked.  
"Yeah. It was some kind of animal." She said.  
"Is that all you know?" I asked.  
"No. You saved me. I don't know how. But you did. How did you?" She said.  
"I just pushed it out of the way. That was nothing. Just something I learned from sports." I said.  
"Are you sure? It didn't look like nothing." She said.  
"You probably hit your head or something. You're confused." I said.  
Does she know something?  
"Yeah. That's probably it." She said.  
"I should probably go. I'm glad you're OK." I said.  
"Cheerio." I said.  
"See you later." She said.  
Then I left the hospital. I went outside to my car. I drove off.  
Music  
Digital daggers-Still here  
Broken Iris-New hope  
Lindsey Stirling-Crystallize


	2. State of Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paige gets discharged from the hospital. She goes back to school and meets Stefan. They instantly become friends.

Paige's POV  
The hospital discharged me. Something's off with Damon. He's hiding something. I'm going to find out what it is. I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock. I got out of bed. Today was the first day at a new school. I was nervous to go. We moved because there was vampire activity in Fells Church. When he said we had to move, I didn't want to leave my friends behind. Then I remembered that vampires have no remorse. It's the council's job protect the people of this town. My motivation for hunting vampires is that my best friend, Hallie was murdered by a vampire at a party. I blame myself for what happened. I just think that I could've done something. Ever since then, I swore that I would risk my life to help save the greater good. I took a shower. Then I got dressed. I went down stairs. I walked to the kitchen. My dad was sitting down reading a newspaper.   
"Good morning." I said.  
"Hey, you're up." He said.  
He looked like he'd seen a ghost.  
"What happened?" I asked.  
"A teenager got attacked some kind of animal." He said.  
I thought of Hallie.  
"The attacks have been getting worse. That's the second one this week." He said.   
"I think the town is going to find out. It's only a matter of time. It's going to wreak havoc when they do." I said as I grabbed the step-ladder to get the oatmeal out of the cupboard.  
"Don't say that. It might actually happen." He said.  
"We moved because of the greater good. Not because I wanted to move you away from your friends." He said.  
"I know." I said.  
I glanced at my mobile. It was getting late.  
"It's getting late. I should probably go." I said.  
"Have a good day at school." He said.  
Then I went out the door. I went out to the car. I went straight to school. This is town is like my hometown. I think I can make friends here. My house was very close to my school. I drove into the car park. I made my way to the office to get my schedule. I opened the door. I went inside. There was a middle aged woman sitting down.   
"Hi. I'm new. I was wondering if I can get my schedule." I said.  
"Certainly. Just a minute." She said.  
Then she printed out the schedule.  
"Here you go." She said as she handed to me.  
"Thanks." I said.  
Then I walked out of the room. I examined my first class. I had AP English. I went to my locker and put all my stuff inside. Then Aria came running up to me.   
"You're here!" She said as she gave me a hug.  
"Hey." I said.  
She backed away from me. Then we started walking through the halls.   
"So how are you liking it here?" She asked.  
"It's fine." I said.  
We walked into inside a class room. We found a seat next to each other.   
"Why do you move here anyway? There's nothing to do. I can't wait when I move." She said.  
"I don't know. I like small towns." I said.  
The class started. Then a middle aged woman entered the room. All of sudden a tall boy entered. He was handsome. He had olive skin and green eyes. He kind of reminded me of an historical romance hero. He went up to the teacher.  
"I'm Stefan. I'm new." He said as he gave her a tardy slip.  
"I'm Claire. I'm old." She said.  
He sat down. He stared at me strangely. I've never met before. Then I got a text from Aria.  
"The well fit bloke is staring at you. That's the second time. You're on a roll or something." She said.  
"This one's different. He's weird." I said.   
"You should talk to him. Get to know him." She said.   
"I don't even know what to do." I said.   
"Relax. I'll teach you." She said.   
"So what do I do?" I asked.   
"Just go up to him and say hi." She said.   
Then I shut the mobile. After class I followed him. I went up to him in the hall.   
"Hi. Don't we have English together?" I asked.  
"I'm Stefan." He said.  
"Paige." I said.  
We shook hands.  
"I noticed we're both new." He said.  
"Yeah." I said.  
"So what brings you here?" He asked.  
"My dad's job transferred here." I said.  
"Oh I see. Have you made any friends?" He said.  
"Only one. You?" I said.  
"None that I can think of. I tend to keep to myself. It's hard for me to make friends." He said.  
"I'm sure you will make plenty in no time. Everybody's going to be talking about you. You'll see." I said.  
"I should probably go. I don't want to be late. It was nice talking to you." He said.  
"Likewise." I said.  
Then he walked off. He seems nice. I don't think I have anything to worry about.   
Music  
Katy Rose-Overdrive  
Switchfoot-The blues


	3. The Turning Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paige makes some more friends. She goes to a party. Something strange happens. She starts to become skeptical about the Salvatore Brothers.

Paige's POV  
When class was over, I went outside. The rest of the day was the same. Then it became lunch. I went to my locker and put my stuff away. I ran into Aria. She was doing the same.   
"Hi." She said.  
"Hi." I said.  
"Did you talk to the new guy?" She said.  
"Yeah." I said.  
"So?" She asked.  
"We just talked. That's all." I said.  
"How did it go?" She asked.  
"It went fine. I guess." I said.   
Then we walked to the canteen.   
"I think you're my new best friend. You should sit with us." She said.  
We made our way to the dining hall. We sat with her friends. A boy and a girl. They look like they were my age.   
"Hey guys. I hope you don't mind I brought a friend along." Aria said.  
"No not at all." He said.  
"So you're the one that's everyone's been talking about." He said.  
"Yeah that's me." I said.  
"I'm James." He said as he gave me his hand.  
He was tall and lanky. He had dark brown hair with a floppy fringe that falls to his eyes. He had kind brown eyes, full lips, and tan skin. He was very handsome.   
"Paige." I said.  
"I'm Violet." Violet said as she gave me her hand.  
She was beautiful. She had long dark brown hair, green eyes, and fair skin. She wasn't very tall. She was slightly pear shaped.  
"Paige." I said.   
"What have you heard about the new guy, Stefan?" Aria asked.  
"Everybody's been talking about him. He's kind of loner. He does seem like a good guy." He said.  
"Yeah. Do you know if he's seeing anyone?" Aria asked.  
"No not that I know of. Why?" He said.  
"I fancy him. He's well fit." Aria said.  
"I think he has a thing for Paige." Aria said.  
"No he doesn't. He was just being friendly." I said.  
"So what do you for fun?" I asked.  
"I play baseball." He said.  
"I don't really know. There's nothing I'm good at." Aria said.  
"I like to read. I like to scrapbook and journal." Violet said.  
"I like to read as well. I like to study." I said.  
"What's your favourite book?" Violet said.  
"I like classic books. I like Jane Austen, Tom Hardy, and the Bronte Sisters." I said.  
"What's yours?" I asked.  
"I like YA. l like Mortal Instruments series, The Hunger Games series, Divergent series, The Maze Runner series." Violet said.  
"I like those as well." I said.  
From what I gather that Aria's boy crazy like she has a new suitor every week. James is a very nice and sweet bloke. Violet seems shy. As lunch progressed, these two jocks started to fight. I was too busy to hear why they were arguing. Then they started to fight. Everyone was glanced at that direction. I can tell that something like this doesn't happen very often at this school. Everyone surrounded the two jocks. Some people yelled "Fight!". In less than a second, Stefan made his way to squeeze through the crowd of the two jocks. Stefan was right in the middle of the two jocks who had their arms locked each other's arms on each other's shoulders to push each other down. Then Stefan pushed the two jocks away from each other like they were made of nothing. They backed away from each other. Everyone looked surprised that he could do that.   
"What was all that about? Are you some kind of freak?" A guy asked.  
Stefan looked like what he did was out of his control. Then all the students were waiting for something to happen. Everyone moved away; clearly out of boredom. Then the bell rang for that lunch is over. I looked over at Stefan. He has vanished out of thin air. I want to confront him and demand to know what happened. I went to the library for study hall. I didn't feel like doing anything. I was really distracted by what happened in the dining hall. What Stefan did was inhuman. Stefan had to be something. My dad and my whole family are hunters. I know how to kill one. I wanted in some way to defend Stefan that he didn't want anyone to get hurt and he showed his strength. It wasn't human strength. I wanted to know his side of the story. Stefan was sitting down at one of the tables. I don't think he noticed me. I went over to him.   
"Stefan, we need to talk about what happened at the dining hall." I said.   
"There's nothing to talk about. What I did was nothing." He said.  
I was getting frustrated.   
"What you did wasn't nothing. You pushed the two jocks like they were a grain of sand." I said.  
"Alright before you get melodramatic. I was in the wrestling back team back at my old school. I just did some moves." He said.  
"What I saw wasn't a wrestling move. It was something that superman would've done. In less there's a wrestling moves that makes you have inhuman strength." I said.  
"Are you saying I'm lying? I've been nothing but honest with you." He asked.  
"No I just need to know the truth." I said.  
Then all of sudden, he gathered his stuff.  
"I have to go." He said.  
He went for the door. I watched him leave. I knew that Stefan's hiding something. I'm not going to stop until I found what it is. My plan is to do this on my own. If I tell my dad he'll hurt Stefan or worse. I can't let that happen. I can't help but defend Stefan. My plan is to find what he is and then go off from there. He's been so nice to me. I can't get past what happened in the dining hall. I come from a long line of hunters. I have to ask what other people saw. I walked into my next classroom. I had art this time. I could ask her what she thought. I stood in front of easels. I stood next to Aria.  
"Hey there you are. I wasn't expecting to see you." She said.  
"Neither did I." I said.  
Then class started.  
"Hi everyone. I'm Madame Deluca. Your task is to paint what you perceive the world to look like. There's no right or wrong. Begin." She said.  
Everyone started working. What do I perceive to look like? I have no idea. I think there's no black and white. We live in a world of grey. I looked over my shoulder to see what everyone else is doing.   
"What are going to paint?" Aria asked.  
"I don't know. How about you?" I said.  
"I don't know. I hadn't thought about it." She said.  
"Understandable." I said.  
Then I took out my mobile. I started texting.   
What do you think about what happened with Stefan? P  
I'm not sure what you mean. A  
You know when he stopped the jocks from fighting P  
Nobody stopped them from fighting. They got suspended for it. A  
Was the fight bad? P  
Yeah one of them broke a few ribs. A  
OK P  
Why did you want to know? A  
Just curious is all. P  
Nothing happens at this school A  
OK P  
I wanted to invite you to a party at my house. A  
I don't know. P  
What do you mean? A  
The truth is I've never been to a high school party before. P  
Really? You haven't? Didn't they have parties at your old school? A  
Yeah they did. I just didn't go to them. P  
Well, we'll have to change that, won't we? A  
OK, that's cool. P  
I'll see you then. A  
Same here. P  
Then the bell rang. It was the end of the day. So I went outside to my car. I drove off. I stopped in front of my house. I got out of the car. Then I walked to the front porch. I turned the door knob. I walked inside. My beagle, Leila came rushing toward me. She jumped on me. Then my dad came around the corner.  
"Hi. How was your first day?" He asked.  
"It was great." I said.  
"Have you made any friends?" He asked.  
"Yeah absolutely. I have a feeling that this going to be good year." I said.  
"Me too." He said.  
"Can you go hunting later?" He asked.  
"No I can't. I've got coursework. I was invited to a party by my new friend at school. Can I go?" I said.  
"Yeah sure you can." He said.  
"I'm going to start my coursework now." I said.  
I went upstairs. My dog followed me upstairs. She lied down on the hardwood floor. I sat on a chair by my desk. I had a lot of stuff to do. I wasn't finished packing so all sorts of boxes were around the room. I couldn't wait until I go to the party. Then I finished all my homework. So I had enough time to go. I went downstairs to the kitchen. My dad was sitting down at the kitchen table eating spaghetti. Leila was lying down on the floor.   
"OK. I should be going." I said.  
"Be safe. Alright. Don't do anything I wouldn't approve of." He said.  
I laughed.  
"I'll see you later." I said.  
Then I went out the door. I drove to Aria's house. I parked in front of her house. I went out of the car. It looks like a lot of people are here. I walked to her house. I turn the door knob. I went inside. It was a madhouse. Music was blaring in my ear. I saw a couple snogging against the wall. I saw a bunch of people from my classes. I was looking for Aria. She was sitting on the sofa. She was with some friends I didn't recognise. Some of her friends were drinking and smoking fags. I'm not sure if she saw me. I was standing in front of her.  
"Oh there you are. You made it. Everyone this is Paige. Paige this is everyone." Aria said.  
"Hi." I said.  
"I'd like you to meet some really cool people." Aria said.  
She introduced me to some of her friends. I met Rachel who has dirty blond hair and small green eyes who was average in height. Then I met Miranda who has strawberry blond hair and fair skin who was petite. They seem nice. I glance over to see if I can find James and Violet. They were by a wall. I stood up to talk to them.  
"Where are you going? This fun hasn't even started." Aria said.  
"I'll be right back." I said.  
They were off by them selves. Music was basically blaring. We had to try to talk over the music.  
"Hi." He said.  
"Hi." She said.  
"I was really looking forward to this." I said.  
"I've never been to a party before." I said.  
"I heard." He said.  
"What did you do at your old school?" He asked.  
"Well lots of things." I said.  
"Do you like the party?" He asked.  
"Yes I like it a lot." I said.  
"Is there any food left?" I asked.  
"Yeah I suppose." He said.  
"How long have you known Aria?" I asked.  
"Since primary school." He said.  
"I had friends like that. It was hard to move away from them." I said.  
"I know what you mean. I couldn't imagine moving away from this town. I grew up here. I have never really been anywhere. Maybe one day." He said.  
Then I saw Stefan enter the party. I didn't think he would come. He seems like a loaner. Why did is he here?   
"I'll be right back." I said.  
"I thought he wouldn't come." He said.  
"Neither did I. It doesn't seem like his scene." I said.  
Then I walked through the crowd to get to Stefan. He was just frozen. Like he was figuring out what he should do.  
"Hi there." I said.  
"Hey." He said.  
"I didn't expect to see you here. It doesn't sound like your thing." I said.  
"Well I wanted to try something new." He said.  
"I know what you mean." I said.  
"Yeah." He said.  
"So how's it working out for you?" I asked.  
"I don't know. I don't really know anyone. I'm not good at talking to people I've never met before. It's hard for me to make friends." He said.  
"Perhaps you should practise." I said.  
"I'll bear that in my mind." He said.  
Then commotion started to arise. Aria was freaking out. I went over to her.  
"Oh my god!" She said.  
"What happened?" I asked.  
"I don't know. Rachel went for a walk. She hasn't come back." She said.  
"It's OK. Everything will be fine." I said.  
"What if something happened to her?" She asked.  
"Don't talk like that. She's probably lost or something." I said.   
"I'll go look for her. How about that?" I asked.  
"Yeah just be careful." She said.  
"I will." I said.  
"I'll go with her. To make sure she's safe." Stefan said.  
"Yeah that's a great idea." She said.  
Then we went outside into the woods. We are walking in the woods. He was walking ahead of me. He's walking really fast.   
"You walk really fast." I said.  
He didn't say anything. He just kept walking.  
"You didn't have to do that. I can take care of myself." I said.  
"I've noticed." He said.  
It was really dark. We could barely see. I don't know how we're going to find her.   
"Where do you think she is?" I asked.  
"She could be anywhere really." He said.  
"She couldn't have gone far." I said.  
"Right." He said.  
I walked into something. What was that? Then I realised it was Rachel.  
"Oh my god!" I said.  
"She's dead, isn't she?" I said.  
"I'm afraid so." He said.  
"What are going to do? How do we tell her?" I asked.  
"Who's doing this? Who could have done this?" I asked.  
Then he walked over to me. His hands were at my face.   
"Hey, it'll be fine. We'll work something out." He said.  
I turned away from him. Then I turned around again. His face changed. There was veins under his eyes.   
"Hey? Are you ok? Your eye."   
He turned away from me.  
"It's nothing." He said.  
"It didn't look like nothing." I said.  
"We should probably go back." He said.  
Then we walked back. Everyone was outside waiting outside. I don't want to tell Aria. She'd be upset. I have to though.   
"You're back. What happened?" She said.  
I didn't say anything.  
"No she can't. It can't be true." She said.  
"I'm sorry, Aria." I said.  
I turned away from her. I took out my mobile. I phoned Dominique. She said to ring her if something came up.   
"Hi it's Paige. I'm fine. Something happened. A girl has been attacked. No I don't know." I said.  
"OK. I'll be right over." She said.  
Then after a awhile, the police came. Dominique came toward me.  
"You didn't see anything?" She asked.  
"No, we just found her." I said.  
"Then I can take it from here." She said.  
Then I walked to my car. Of course the party was over. I slipped on a rock. I felt something catch my fall.   
"Oh. Great reflexes." I said.  
"You should be more careful. How you doing?" He asked.  
He pulled me up.   
"I've had better days. You?" I said.  
"Nothing much." He said.  
"You seem a little tense." He said.  
"I'll be fine." I said.  
"Where were you?" He asked.  
"I was at a party with my friends." I said.  
"Did you have fun?" He asked.  
"Not really." I said.  
"Why is that?" He asked.  
"Parties aren't really my thing." I said.  
"Oh I see." He said.  
Then there were some time past between us.   
"I know your type." He said.  
I'm confused. I thought we were friends.  
"What does that even mean?" I asked.  
He walked closer to me.   
"It means that you seem innocent on the outside. But inside there's something more underneath." He said.  
I was frozen in place. In a way I was intrigued. He was attracted to the darkness. Does that mean I am too? No this can't happen. This isn't me. I'm not like that.  
"I should probably go. My dad's is probably wondering where I'm at. I'll see you around." I said.  
"Do you want to have breakfast with me?" He asked.  
I turned around.  
"Sure." I said.  
"Meet me at my house." He said.  
"Yeah. Where do you live?" I said.  
"I live in the boarding house." He said.  
"Oh you live there." I said.  
"I'll see you then." He said.  
"Yeah." I said.  
I walked past him. Then I went in my car. I drove off. I parked in front of my house. I got out of the car. I went through the door.  
"Hey." I said.  
"You're home early. I heard what happened. Are you alright?" He said.  
"Yeah I'm fine." I said.  
"Was she a friend of yours?" He asked.  
"No." I said simply.  
"She was a friend of Aria's." I said.  
"Oh. How's she doing?" He said.  
"She seemed upset." I said.  
"It's understandable. She was her friend." He said.  
"Yeah." I said.  
"Do you think it's the same vampire that's been killing all these people?" I asked.  
"I think so." He said.  
"We should turn on the telly and see the news for the attack." He said.  
Then we turned on the telly.  
"I'm Dana Chandler. Reporting live from the streets of Fells Church. The live animal that has been terriozing the citizens of Fells Church has claimed another victim. Police are certain that this is the same animal for this recent attack." She said.  
Rachel's high school photo appeared on screen.  
"I should talk to Dominque about this." He said.  
"Didn't you say you fancied her? You should ask her out." I asked.  
"Yes but I don't know if she feels the same way. I don't know. Maybe I will." He said.  
"It's worth a try." I said.  
I'm so exhausted.  
"I'm kind of tired. Good night." I said.  
Then I went upstairs. I laid in bed thinking about the animal attacks and how this should end. I thought about Damon too. He makes me feel a certain way that I'm not sure I like.   
Music  
Call of duty-I stand alone  
Gossip-Standing in the way of control  
Audiomachine-Breath of life


	4. History Repeating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paige has breakfast with Damon. They talk about a bunch of stuff. She begins to develop feelings for him. She finds out that Damon and Stefan are brothers.

Paige's POV  
I woke up early in the morning. I was excited. I think it's going to be a good day. I can feel it. I got dressed and took a shower. Then I went down stairs. My dad was in the kitchen. He was reading a newspaper. I went to the counter and poured myself some coffee.  
"Anything good?" I asked.  
"Not really. Same old." He said.  
He scanned me up and down.  
"You're up early. Where are you going?" He said.  
"I'm going out." I said.  
"With who?" He asked.  
"I'm having breakfast with a friend." I said.  
"Cool. Have fun." He said.  
"I will." I said.  
Then I went out the door. I went in my car. I drove off. I was looking forward to my time with Damon. I parked the car in front of his house. I got out of the car. I was in the front of the door. I knocked. Then Stefan answered the door. I was confused. What's he doing here?  
"What are you doing here?" I asked.  
"I live here." He said.  
"How do you know Damon? Are you two roommates or something?" I asked.  
"We're brothers." He said.  
It took me a while to process the new information. I can't believe this happened. They're like polar opposites. How are they related? Damon is sarcastic and charming. Stefan is sweet and sensitive. Then Damon came out of nowhere.  
"I see you've met my friend, Paige. He didn't think you existed. He thought I made it up." Damon said.  
"We've already met." Stefan said.  
"Wait you two know each other." Damon said.  
"We're friends." Stefan said.  
"Paige, can I talk to you for a second?" Stefan asked.  
"Sure." He said.  
We moved to a part of the house where Damon couldn't hear us.  
"What is it?" I asked.  
"I don't think you should spend time with him." He said.  
"Why?" I asked.  
"I can't tell you why. He's just dangerous. You're just going to have to trust me." He said.  
"I trust you. I just don't understand." I said.  
Before he could answer Damon was in front of us.  
"What the hell's shaking? Can I join?" Damon asked.  
"Paige, don't say I didn't warn you." Stefan said.  
We walked to his car.  
"That's a nice car. Where did you get it?" I said.  
"I got it from car collectors place." He said.  
I went inside his car. He started the car. Then a song was playing the back ground. We arrived at the place. It's a diner. He mentioned that he like this restaurant a lot. I opened the car door to go inside. We went inside the restaurant. The hostess led us to our table. I was wearing a sun dress.  
"You look nice." He said as we sat down.  
Blood rose to my cheeks.  
"Thanks." I said.  
Then I glance at the menu. I didn't know what I wanted to eat.  
"Do you have any siblings?" He asked.  
"Yeah I have a older brother named Aidan. He's attending uni." I said.  
"Are you close with him?" He asked.  
"Yes." I said.  
"Enough about me. What about you? What's your relationship like with your brother." I said.  
"That's a long story." He said.  
"Well our relationship is complicated. We haven't spoken much over the years. We used to be best friends when we were younger but a woman named Katherine von Swartzschild drove us against each other. Then shortly after we met Elena who rekindled our relationship. We sort of driffed apart." He said.  
"What happened to her?" I asked.  
"She left town to get us to stop fighting over her all the time. Then she died of old age. She had a normal, got married to a " She said.  
"Stefan wasn't quite the same after she died because they were soul mates." He said.  
"Does he still love her?" I asked.  
"I don't think he ever stopped loving her." He said.  
"Did you love her too?" I asked.  
"Yes I did." He said.  
"What was she like?" I asked.  
"She was beautiful. A lot like you in that department." He said.  
"She was outgoing, confident, brave, ambitious, loyal, protective, and strong willed." He said.  
"Has Stefan ever been in another relationship other than Elena?" I asked.  
"I don't think so." He said.  
"I could introduce to some girls at school." I said.  
"You would do that? That would be great." He said.  
"Who was your first love?" I asked.  
"Her name was Nadia." He said.  
"Did your parents like her?" I asked.  
"My mother died, bearing Stefan." He said.  
"I'm sorry." I said.  
"It's alright. It was a long time ago." He said.  
"My father never approved of anyone I dated which only made me want them more. Of course. He said that Nadia was too independent and feministic. He believed that men were the head of the house." He said.  
"He sounds like a bully. So did he not like your mother?" I said.  
"No he loved her very much." He said.  
"What was your relationship with your father like?" I asked.  
"My father and I never got along. He used to abuse me in his office because he thought I lacked responsibility. Stefan was his favourite. He forced me to attend university. I returned home because I was more interested in shagging girls and gambling than my studies. As well as Katherine. " He said.  
"What was Katherine like?" I asked.  
"Katherine was beautiful too. She was also manipulative, selfish, spoiled, cold hearted, wicked and insane." He said.  
"Did you love her too?" I asked.  
"Yes I did. A long time ago. I loved Elena more." He said.  
"What happened to her?" I asked.  
"She died in a car crash a couple of years ago." He said.  
Then our waitress came over. I ordered my meal. Damon ordered as well. She handed us our coffee mugs.  
"Thank you." I said.  
That's the third time she looked at Damon since we've been here. She seems to like him.  
"Can I get you anything?" She asked him.  
"No thank you." He said.  
She started to walk away.  
"Just let me know." She said.  
"Hm." I said.  
"What about your mother? You mentioned that she died bearing Stefan. What was she like?" I said.  
"She was kind, generous, and compassionate. Not much different from you." He said.  
"What was her name?" I asked.  
"Cecelia Salvatore." He said.  
"I miss her. I remember the day she died. I was so distraught. She was my best friend." He said.  
"I'm sorry." I said simply.  
"Do you like to read?" I asked.  
"Yeah I love to read when I have down time. My favourite books are Call of the wild: white fang by Jack London and Gone with the wind." He said.  
"I've never met anyone like you before." I said.  
"Huh. Have you got a boyfriend?" He said.  
"No. In fact I've never had one." I said.  
"Really? Men must throw themselves at you." He said.  
"Not one that caught my eye." I said.  
I fancy him. He's alluring and dangerous. But not in a way that scares me. I want to get know him better.  
"What are you thinking about?" He asked.  
"Nothing important." I said.  
"I would never hurt you, Paige. You can trust me." He said.  
I needed to go. I can't fancy someone like him. He's the kind of a guy that your father warned you about. I don't want to us to more than friends. I stood up.  
"I have to go. Thanks for the lovely meal. I'll see you around." I said.  
"Leaving so soon? I don't bite that hard." He said.  
"Yeah I forgot I had to do something. Bye." I said.  
"Paige." He said.  
I walked home. I opened the door to my bedroom. I slumped down on the bed. What am I doing? It's not going well. I fucking hate this.


	5. Family ties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damon has dinner with Paige and her dad. He talks with Stefan about moving on.

Damon's POV  
I had a fun time with Paige. I haven't felt this way in a long time. Could it turn into something more? Stefan's been on my mind lately because he's been lonely. All he does is write in his journal and go to school. I'm really worried about him. I don't want him to become the ripper again. He acts like a completely different person. He's been doing so well for years. He hasn't been the same since Elena died. I drove home in my Blue Chevy Camaro. I parked my car. I got out of the car. He was in the same spot when he left. He was writing in his journal, seated at his desk.   
"Are you still writing in your journal?" I asked.   
"Yeah I have a lot of feelings that I need to pour out on." He said.  
"Have you ever thought about living in the real world?" I asked.   
"Funny. If you're going to mock me. You might as well fuck off." He said.   
"Did you have a good time with Paige?" He asked.  
"Yes in fact I did." I said.  
"What are your intentions with her?" He asked.  
"We're just friends." I said.  
"She's a person, Damon. She doesn't exist for your amusement. To feed on whenever you want to." He said.  
"I wouldn't do something like that. She's my friend. She might qualify as my only friend." I said.  
"It wouldn't be a good idea. You shouldn't involve her in all of this." He said.  
"Wasn't planning on it." I said.  
"Good." He said.  
Then I went back to my room. I laid down on the bed.   
Paige's POV  
I returned home. I had a really good time with Damon. I think he'll be a good friend. I think he might be right, that men and women can't be friends. We need establish some ground rules for our friendship. I don't want to take risks. I was sitting down on kitchen table doing homework. My dad was sharping knifes for hunting.   
"There you are. Did you have a nice breakfast?" He said.  
"I wouldn't mind if we did it again." I said.  
"I've got some leads for the case." He said.  
"Yeah? Do tell." I said.   
I didn't expect for him to remember what happened. I was planning on working on the case by myself. It's fine if we work on it together. We'll find more leads that way. But I'm afraid he'll do something to Stefan. He doesn't deserve that.  
"I'm going to talk to Dominique Watson." He said.  
"That would be great. Didn't you go to high school with her?" I said  
"Yes I did. I kind of fancyed her." He said.  
"Then you should ask her out." I said.  
"I don't know. We've been friends for so long. Wouldn't it ruin it?" He said.  
"Doesn't hurt to try." I said.  
"Fine. You convinced me." He said.   
"I'm going with you." I said.  
"Yeah I'll let you tag along." He said.  
Earlier I applied for a job at a coffee shop. We went outside to the car. He started the car. He drove off. We didn't talk much on the way down. We parked in the car park by police station. We got out of the car. We walked into to the police station. We went inside. He showed our fake badges. Dominique was sitting by her desk.   
"Hi guys. Come with me." She said.  
She had dark hair, fair skin, and hazel eyes. She was really pretty. She looked like she was in her mid thirties. She might be of oriental descent. We followed her into the morgue. She pulled the door. Rachel's lifeless body was before us. It felt weird looking at her. She had a bit on her neck.  
"This how we found her." She said.  
"We're going to find who did this to her." He said  
"Definitely." She said.  
"What kind of leads are you getting?" He asked.  
"Not much. We know it's a vampire. They're telling the public that it was an animal attack." She said.  
"I'm tired of all these animal attacks. We have to find who did this." I said.  
"Exactly." She said.  
"They're vampires in this town, aren't there?" I said.  
"That's what it looks like." She said.  
"Could we talk in private?" He asked.  
"Very well." I said.  
I left the room, where I paced the hallway.  
"What is it?" She asked.  
"I was wondering if you want to have dinner." He said.  
"You're asking me out?" She asked.  
"Yes." He said.  
"Yeah I would love to." She said.  
"What kind of food do you like?" He asked.  
"I like all kinds. About we go the pizzeria?" She said.  
"Sorted." He said.  
"I don't like the idea of Paige getting involved. She's just a child after all." She said.  
"She can take care of herself. She learnt from the best." He said.  
"I know. Just be careful." She said.  
"Always am." He said.  
"Alright, Paige. You can come back now." He said.  
I came through the door.  
"Did I miss anything?" I asked.  
"No not much." He said.  
"We should probably get going. I'll see you later." He said.  
"Bye." She said.  
Then we went out of the police station.   
"So what did she say?" I asked.  
"She said yes. She seemed excited." He said.  
"Good. You see I told you." I said.  
Then we drove home. I went upstairs to finish my English coursework.   
Damon's POV  
I was in the middle of drinking a bourbon. There was a knock on the door. I made my way towards the door. I opened the door. There was a girl standing before me. She looked about seventeen. She was very beautiful and tall. She had a slim figure with long straight light brown hair and olive skin.   
"May I help you?" I asked.  
"I'm Gwendolyn Maxwell. My friends call me Gwen. A local directed me here because I don't know anyone." She said.  
She extended her hand. I kissed it.   
"Damon Salvatore." I said.  
"Gwen." She said.  
I was confused for a moment. Then I remembered we live in a boarding house.   
"Come in." She said.  
She came in. She looked all around. Then Stefan came around the corner. He had a puzzled look on his face.   
"Who's this?" He asked.  
"This is Gwen Maxwell. She will be staying with us." I said.  
"I apologise for my rudeness. I'm Stefan. It's a pleasure to meet you." He said.  
They shook hands.  
"Likewise." She said.  
I led her upstairs to her room.   
"Do your parents own this?" She asked.  
"Yeah it was inherited." I said.  
I stopped in front of her room. She glanced around to see the entire room.   
"Is this comfortable for you?" I asked.  
"Yes very much." She said.  
"Let me know if you need anything." I said.  
Then I left her alone.   
Paige's POV  
I went upstairs to change into my hunting gear. I put on a leather jacket, jeans, and black boots. I got my cross bow and put a stake in my boot. We went outside to go to hunting. He had on his hunting gear. We got in the car to drive to the woods. We usually hunt during the night because vampires burn in the sun, they come out during the night. We got out of the car. We were walking in the woods. We were not trying to make a sound because vampires have enhanced hearing and they can read minds. I was ready for anything. Then we heard a female scream somewhere in the distance. We ran to stop the vampire. He was running really fast. We finally caught up with him. He was sucking her dry in the nearby tree. He looked young. I was prepared to shoot. I shot an arrow at him. The vampire growled. He let go of the girl he was feeding on. He disappeared for a second. Then all of sudden he was right in front of me. He backed me in the corner. I had no way out. I was trapped.  
"So you think you can outsmart a vampire. You're wrong. I can read everything you're thinking. You pretend you're brave but on the inside, you're afraid." He said.  
"I'm not afraid of you." I said.  
I kicked him in the groin. He fell to his knees.   
"You're strong for a little thing." He said.  
I get that a lot because I'm short. People think I can't be strong. They always underestimate me.   
"That's the last time. You hurt anyone in this town." I said.  
I grabbed the stake from my boot. I staked him. Some of my dad's friends wondered why he would let a girl into the hunting lifestyle. Being a hunter made me who I am today. I know I'll have a normal life. I like my life the way it is. My dad was standing behind a tree.   
"Good job. You staked a vampire by yourself." He said.  
"All thanks to you. I couldn't have done it without you. You taught me everything I know." I said.  
Then I thought of the girl.  
"We should do something about the girl." I said.  
The girl looked scared. She looked confused. He probably influenced her to forget what happened. She had dark brown hair, brown eyes, and fair skin. She looked about my age.   
"Where am I?" She asked.  
"You got lost." I said.  
"I should probably go home. My parents would be looking for me." She said.  
"What's your name?" I asked.  
"Evelyn Ainsworth." She said.  
"We're going go to take you back to your parents." I said.  
"Alright." She said.  
Then we took her home in our car. We didn't talk on the way home. We parked outside of her house. We walked to the front of this house. A middle aged woman answered the door.   
"Mum!" She said.  
"Evelyn!" Her mum said.  
"Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you." She said.  
"I'm sorry. I got a little lost." She said.  
"Who are these people?" She asked.  
"These are the people that found me." She said.  
"Thank you." She said.  
"Your welcome." I said.  
Then we left her house. We went inside our car. We didn't say much on the ride home. I hope she's alright.   
"I hope she's doing OK." I said.  
"So do I." He said.  
Then we parked the car in front of our house. I saw Damon's car. What's he doing here?   
"Who's car is that?" He asked.  
"Oh that's just my friend Damon's car." I said.  
"I thought you didn't like any of the boys in town." He said.  
"We're just friends, Dad." I said.  
"He's a little old for you, isn't he?" He said.  
What's with him? He's never been the hovering type   
"Don't worry. We're hanging out. That's all" I said.  
"Best to keep it that way." He said.   
He decided to drop it. Then we walked to the patio. He was sitting on a chair.  
"Hi." I said.  
"Hi." He said.  
"Alright?" He asked.  
"I'm fine." I said.  
"What are you doing here?" I asked.  
"What are you doing with your dad? It's pretty late." He said.  
Why does he want to know? I had to come up with a lie.  
"Nothing. I just had to do some errands." I said.  
"I guess I just missed you." He said.  
I didn't know what to say.  
"Oh." I said.  
Then my dad came towards us.   
"We haven't met. You must be Damon." He said.  
"It's nice to meet you." Damon said.  
"Likewise." He said.  
They shook hands.  
"How come I never met him?" Dad asked.  
"Sorry. I just never got around to it." I said.  
"Will you stay for dinner?" Dad asked.  
"Dad. I'm sure he has other plans." I said.  
"Actually I don't. I would love to." He said.  
I rode with Damon.   
"I'm sorry. You probably had other plans." I said.  
"No, don't apologise. I want to." He said.  
Then we talked in silence for the rest of the ride. We made it to the pizzeria.   
"How many?" The hostess asked.  
"Three." I said.  
"Right this way." The hostess said.  
We followed the seating hostess to our table. I sat next to Damon.   
"Have you been here before?" I asked.  
"Yes." He said.  
"What do you usually order here?" I asked.  
"It depends on what I feel like." He said.  
"Your server will be with you shortly." The hostess said.  
I was still confused on why Damon came to my house. It must mean ssomething. Then a petite red head was standing before us.  
"I'm Cassia. I'll be taking care of you." She said.  
'"How about we start with something to drink? What will we have?" She asked.  
"I'd like a dr. pepper." I said.  
"I'd like a glass of vodka." He said.  
"And for you, sir." She said.  
"Just diet coke." Dad said.  
Then she left us alone.   
"So tell me about yourself." Dad said.  
"Well I just moved here. My parents died. I have a brother." He said.  
"Are you guys close?" Dad asked.  
"No not really. We have a bit of strained relationship." He said.  
"I go to school with his brother. He's really nice to me. He's really polite and sweet." I said.  
I think he's attractive. But I don't fancy him.  
"It's ok if you do. I mean I get it. He's always been a bit of a lady magnet." He said.   
I didn't know how to respond. So I said nothing.  
"Do you have a thing for him?" Dad asked.  
"No nothing like that."" I said.  
"What's your day job?" Dad asked.  
"I'm an entrepreneur." He said.  
"What do you do in your free time?" He asked.  
I realised I don't know much about him. There's a bond between us. It's like nothing I ever felt before.  
"I play video games and read books." He said.  
"I wouldn't peg you the type to read books." I said.   
"Well you shouldn't judge people before you get to know them." He said.  
"I'll be right back." Dad said.  
Then he stood up.  
"I thought he'd never leave." He said.  
I was getting uncomfortable. I don't know how to talk to boys.   
"So what about you? I'd like to know more about you." He said.  
"There's not much to know about me. I'm what they call an average girl. A girl next door." I said.  
"That's true. There's so much more to you than that." He said.  
"Well my mum died when I was young. My best friend died from an animal attack. I've lost a lot of people." I said.  
"What do you like to do?" He asked.  
"I know a little a bit of gymnastics." I said.  
"You should show me some time." He said.  
"Maybe." I said.  
Then my dad came back and sat down.  
"What did I miss?" Dad asked.  
"Nothing much." I said.  
Then the waitress returned.   
"Are you ready to order?" She asked.  
"Yes I think we are." He said.  
"I'll have a meat calzone." He said.  
"And you miss?" She asked.  
"I'll have lasagna." I said.  
"I'll have chicken Parmesan." He said.  
"Alright. Coming right up." She said.  
Then we had dinner. We left the restaurant. We were at the patio of my house. Damon and I are facing each other.   
"I had a really good time." He said.  
"Likewise." I said.  
"We should do this again. Next time, just the two of us." He said.  
"Yeah I'd like that." I said.  
"It's late. I should turn in." I said.  
"Yeah." He said.  
Then he leaned in. He was about to kiss me. I wanted to. What's wrong with me? I'm not supposed to be fancy him. It's going to happen. Then the front swung open.  
"It's late. You should probably come inside." Dad said.  
"I'll see you later." I said to Damon.  
"Yeah totally." He said.  
Then my dad shut the door.   
"You were going to kiss him. I thought you didn't fancy him." He said.  
"I don't. I thought you liked him. You sound like you're upset." I said.  
"I get a bad feeling when I'm around him. Like darkness. You shouldn't hang out with him." He said.  
"Look I appreciate that you're trying to protect me. I can take care of myself. Everything's going to be fine." I said.  
"There's something going on between you two. I can feel it when I walk in a room." He said.  
"I'm not having this conversation." I said.  
"I'm going to go to bed. I'll see you in the morning." I said.   
I went upstairs. I got ready for bed. I laid down and put the covers over my head. I want to see him again. I can feel the same thing that my dad's feeling. It's a darkness. Is something wrong with me? I eventually fell asleep.  
Music  
Rihanna-Russian roulette  
Preluders-Everyday girl


	6. Tremble For My Beloved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paige and her friends all go out. Interesting stuff ensues.

Paige's POV  
When I woke up early in the morning, My dad and I had to go to the council meeting. I got dressed. Then I went downstairs. We ate breakfast. Then we went in the car. We drove to the city hall. We got out of the car. We sat down next to each other. Most of the people were locals. I don't know anyone. Then Damon sat next to me.  
"What are you doing here?" I asked.  
"The same reason you're here. To protect the people of this town." He said.  
The meeting started. The mayor sat down. Her name is Mayor Sparks. She's middle aged. She had brown hair and hazel eyes. She seemed agitated.  
"Good morning, everyone. We have a situation. There's been several attacks this week. All of the bodies completely drained of blood." She said.  
"Is it the same one that's been killing all these people?" I asked.  
"Most likely." She said.  
"Do you have any ideas of who it could be?" Dad asked.  
"That's where you guys come in." He said.  
"What are we going to do?" I asked.  
"We were hoping you could tell us." She said.  
"We need to find out who it is." She said.  
"The story for the town is another animal attack. I don't know how long we can keep lying to them." Dominque said.  
"It's the way it has to be. If we tell them havoc will arise." I said.  
"True." She said.  
"That's it. Meeting adjourned." She said.  
Then we left the meeting. My dad dropped me off at school. I was in front of my locker. Then I grabbed my book. I went to class.  
Damon's POV  
I was very discouraged after the meeting. I had no idea that that the council knew about the vampires. I think it was a bad decision to move here. I don't know who's killing all these people. Was it Stefan? He acts differently when he's a ripper. He's usually a total tosser. I don't think he's a ripper. I have to know who's killing all these people. I entered the boarding house. Stefan was in his room. He was writing in his journal. I went up to him.  
"You said you had it under control." I said.  
He stood up.  
"And I do." He said.  
"Then who's been killing these people. Huh?" I said.  
"It wasn't me." He said.  
"Who is it then?" I asked  
"It was someone else." He said.  
"You have no idea who this is." He said.  
"No." I said.  
"Me either." I said.  
Then we seperated.  
Paige's POV  
I couldn't stop thinking about there being a vampire in town. There hasn't been vampires in this town in a long time. I have to keep my eye out on who it could be. I just want Damon and I to be friends. I feel like I'm fighting with myself. I feel like it would be a bad idea to be with Damon. I don't think I'm ready to be in relationship right now. Why was he there at the meeting? I don't know what I think about him being there. The first period bell rang. I'm late. Then I saw Aria and Violet come towards me.  
"Where were you?" Aria asked.  
"I got held up." I said.  
"You should've been there. AP English was bloody hell without you." Aria said.  
"I'm sure it wasn't that bad." I said.  
"No it was. I didn't have anyone to spend time with." Aria said.  
"What about me?" Violet asked.  
"Oh yeah right." Aria said.  
"Well I'm here now. Did I miss anything?" I said.  
"No. Just the usual." Aria said.  
Then the bell rang. Stefan came towards me with a girl I didn't recognise. She had long brown hair and brown eyes. She was tall.  
"Hi." He said.  
"Hi." I said.  
"I didn't see you earlier in English." He said.  
"Yeah I had things to do." I said.  
"This is Gwen Maxwell." He said.  
"It's nice to meet you." I said.  
"I'm Paige." I said.  
"She'll be staying with us for a while until she can get a place off her own." He said.  
"Are you guys like a thing?" I asked.  
"No we're just friends." She said.  
"He's been very kind to me." She said.  
"Yeah he's very sweet." I said.  
"I'll see you later." I said.  
"Yeah for sure." He said.  
Then it was lunch time. We were in the dining hall. I was sitting with my friends. Aria was sitting with her boyfriend. They were snogging each other. I'm not a big fan of PDA. It grosses me out. His name's Liam. I don't know much about him.  
"He plays baseball." She said.  
"What position do you play?" James asked.  
"I play pitcher." Liam said.  
"Oh really. I heard they're doing well this year." James said.  
"Yes, we might be in the championships this year." Liam said.'  
"How was first period?" I asked Violet.  
"It was fine." She said.  
"It was boring without you. I missed you." She said.  
"I wish I could've been there." I said.  
She looked down.  
"What's wrong?" I asked.  
"Nothing. Just tired." She said.  
Then some time passed. James was buying food.  
"If you must know. James asked me out on a date." She said.  
"Oh really. How do you feel about that?" I said.  
"I don't know. I'm kind of confused." She asked.  
"What? When?" She asked.  
I laughed. She was a little late.  
"Just before lunch." She said.  
"Better late than never. I always wondered if you had a thing for him." Aria said.  
"I kind of had other things to worry about." Violet said.  
I rolled my eyes. She could be a little a more supportive. What's going on with her? Sometimes I don't understand Aria.  
"What do you say?" I asked.  
"I said I would think about it." Violet said.  
"Where is James anyway?" I asked.  
"He said he'll be right back. He's buying food." Aria said.  
"He's avoiding me." Violet said.  
"I'm sure that's not the case." I said.  
"When I talked to him. He sounded miffed. You weren't there when I told him." Violet said.  
"It's probably not like that." I said.  
"Yeah it is." Violet said.  
I didn't know what to say.  
"What are you going to tell him?" I asked.  
"I don't know. I don't want to ruin our friendship." Violet said.  
"That's very true." I said.  
"Do you fancy him?" I asked.  
"I'm not sure." Violet said.  
"How long have you known him?" I asked.  
"Since middle school." She said.  
"Has he always fancyed you?" I asked.  
"I think so. I noticed the way he looks at me." She said.  
I knew where she was coming from. I don't think she's had a boyfriend before. I would probably feel the same way if a friend asked me out. I'm surprised that she's never had one because she's really sweet. Any guy would fancy her. Then James came back with his food on a tray. He had a cheese burger, chips, and a fizzy drink. Violet started fidgeting.  
"Where were you?" I asked.  
"I got some food." He said.  
"Cool." I said.  
There was awkward silence between us.  
"I'll go out with you." Violet said.  
"Sure. What day is good for you?" He said.  
"How about Friday?" She asked.  
"Sounds perfect." He said.  
Then Stefan and Gwen sat with us.  
"Hi." Stefan said.  
"Hi." I said.  
"Do you like this school?" Aria asked.  
"Yeah it's great." Stefan said.  
"I agree." Gwen said.  
"Where do you go before?" I asked.  
"I was homeschooled." Gwen said.  
"I didn't go to school at all." Stefan said.  
"Really. Why?" Aria said.  
"Personal reasons." Stefan said.  
"Where did you live before?" I asked.  
"I moved around a lot." Stefan said.  
I know what that feels like. You don't have a home. It's hard to make friends.  
"It gets lonely, doesn't it? It's hard to make friends." I said.  
"Exactly." Stefan said.  
"We should do something tonight. It's been ages since we last went out." Aria said.  
"What do you guys when you go out?" I asked.  
"We usually go to the cinema." James said.  
"This town has a cinema?" I asked.  
"No we have to go to the next town." James said.  
"What film are you going to see?" I asked.  
"It will depend on what we want to see." Aria said.  
Then I went towards Stefan.  
"Are you guys going to go?" I asked.  
"Yeah for sure." He said.  
"Sorted." I said.  
"I should go to class." I said.  
Then I went to class. It was nice to make friends. It's been ages since I've made real friends. I have to move around a lot. It doesn't give me a chance to make friends. Sometimes I wish I was normal. Vampires killed my best friend. I do think about her a lot. When school was over, I drove home. I parked in front of my house. I went inside my house. My dad was watching telly. I sat on the sofa next to him.  
"My friends and I are going to the cinema tonight. Can I go?" I said.  
"Sure you can go." He said.  
He had a stake in his hand.  
"Take this with you." He said.  
"I don't know." I said.  
"It will give your old man a piece of mind." He said.  
"Fine." I said.  
I took it from his hands. I put it in my boot. I took a shower. I got dressed. I went down stairs. I went outside. I parked outside Fells Grill. I went outside. I went inside the grill. Aria was sitting near me.  
"There you are. I didn't think you would come." Aria said.  
I rolled my eyes. Then I saw Stefan sitting next to her.  
"I didn't expect to see you." I said.  
Aria came to my ear.  
"Do you fancy him?" She asked.  
"No we're just friends." I said.  
"I think he's well fit. I fancy him." I said.  
"Go for it." I said.  
"We should play a game." Aria said.  
"Which one?" Violet asked.  
"How about seven minutes in heaven?" Aria asked.  
"No not that one." Violet said.  
"Truth or dare then." Aria said.  
"Paige truth or dare." Aria said.  
"Truth." I said.  
"Have you done it with anyone or are you virgin?" Aria asked.  
"No I'm a virgin." I said.  
If she already knew, then why did she ask. What was the point of that? "I knew it." She said.  
I felt exposed. If she already knew, then why did she ask. What was the point of that?  
"Violet truth or dare." I said.  
"Dare I guess." Violet said.  
"I dare you to kiss James on the lips." I said.  
She looked like she was uncomfortable. I regret saying it. Her lips touched his. You can tell that she fancied him. It looked like passion. They were snogging as if no one else in the room. She pulled away.  
"Alright, Stefan. Truth or dare." Violet said.  
"Truth." He said.  
"What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you?" Violet asked.  
He didn't answer.  
"Paige truth or dare." He said.  
"Truth." I said.  
"What's the deal with you and Damon?" He asked.  
"There is no deal. We're just friends." I said.  
"Is that the one that you met at the grill?" Aria asked.  
"Yes." I said.  
"We should probably go." Aria said.  
"The film will start in fifteen minutes." Aria said.  
"Yeah. Let's go." I said.  
Then we left the grill. Then we went outside. I went over to Violet.  
"I'm really sorry that I dared you to snog James." I said.  
"It's fine. I needed to do it sooner or later." She said.  
"So you're not mad?" I asked.  
"No why would I be?" She asked.  
"What do you think he'll say?" I asked.  
"I don't know. I haven't talked to him since then. Do you think I fucked up?" She asked.  
"No you didn't." I said.  
"What if he asks me about it?" She asked.  
"Don't worry. He won't." I said.  
"He'll be confused." She said.  
"I think he'll understand that you were frightened." I said.  
"I still am." She said.  
"I don't think so. He'll be all shook-up." She said.  
"What should I do?" She asked.  
"I think you should tell him how you feel." I said.  
"I don't know how I feel." She said.  
"I'm scared I'll get hurt." She said.  
"Isn't everybody?" I asked.  
"Even you?" She asked.  
"Yes." I said.  
"You spunky. You're brave." She said.  
I smiled. Then we wet inside the cinema. After the film was over, we went outside.  
"I found the film very predictable. I felt like I've seen it before." Aria said.  
"I thought it was alright." I said.  
We were going to a coffee shop. Then I looked in an alley. There was someone with dark hair. It was Damon.  
"What are you doing here?" I asked.  
"Nothing. Just browsing the shops." He said.  
Then I saw that there was blood on his face. What happened? It looked fresh.  
"There's blood on your face." I said.  
"It's just catchup." He said.  
"It looks like blood. Did you get hurt?" I said.  
"No I'm be alright." He said.  
"OK. I'll see you later. I hope you guys have fun." He said.  
"Cheerio." I said.  
Then he walked off. What was that all about? Why did he lie to me? I should probably let it go. It was probably nothing. My mind's playing tricks on me. He was acting rather odd. Then we started to walk on. James was right beside me.  
"What's wrong with him?" He asked.  
"I have no idea." I said.  
"He seemed like he was lying." He said.  
Then we were at the coffee shop where I work.  
"What are we doing here?" I asked.  
"It's open mike night." She said.  
All of us sat together.  
"That's Regina from AP US History." I said.  
I began to listen to her.  
"When people talk to me, they don't see me. All they see when they meet isn't me. I feel lost when people speak to me." She said.  
"Her poem is really good." I said.  
"Yeah it is." Aria said.  
Silence washed over us.  
"Do you mind if I say something?" She asked.  
"No not at all." I said.  
"Do you fancy Damon?" She asked.  
"No we're just friends." I said.  
"Okay then. So you wouldn't mind if I ask Stefan on a date." She said.  
"No that's fine." I said.  
Stefan came back with the drinks. He set them down.  
"Oh there you are." She said.  
She looked kind of pissed.  
"I think you've had too much to drink." He said.  
"Well of course I have." She said.  
"Aria... you and me. It's not gonna happen. I'm sorry." He said as he walked past her.  
She looked thunderstrucked. I stood up from my chair. I went towards Aria.  
"Oh Aria. I'm sorry. I'm sure he didn't mean it." I said.  
"Drink some coffee. It will make you feel better." I said.  
"Thanks. But I don't feel like it." She said.  
"Why didn't he go for me? How come the guys that I want never want me? I'm inappropriate. I always say the wrong thing. I try so hard and I'm never the one." She said.  
"It's not a competition. There's someone out there for you." I said.  
"Yes it is." She said.  
Then I realised it was time for me to go.  
"I should probably go. I had a really great time." I said.  
"Yeah same here." She said.  
I went outside. I walked to my car. I started the car. I drove off. Aria's question took me off guard. I don't know if I fancy him. I care about him. I went inside my house. I went upstairs. I got ready for bed. I took a shower. I put on my pyjamas. Then I got into bed. I haven't talked to my brother, Aiden in a while. I dialed the number.  
"Hi." I said.  
"Hi." He said.  
"I haven't heard from you in a while. Is everything OK?" He said.  
"Yeah everything's fine. I've really missed you." I said.  
"Oh I've missed you too. Have you made any friends?" He said.  
"Yeah. We're really close. I feel I've known them forever." I said.  
"That's great." He said.  
"Have you met any guys?" He asked.  
"Actually I have." I said.  
"What's he like?" He asked.  
"Well he's a very charming man, and funny." I said.  
"He sounds great. I would like to meet him." He said.  
"I have to go. I've got coursework." He said.  
"Bye." I said.  
"Bye." He said.  
I shut the mobile. What waps I saying? I definitely don't fancy him. I just want us to be friends. I eventually fell asleep.  
Music  
Poets of the fall-Carnival of the rust  
The naked and famous-Young blood  
Collective soul-tremble for my beloved  
The Veronicas-Speechless


	7. Memory lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damon and Stefan talk about an old love of his, Bianca. A flashback of them features he meets her in a club. They instantly hit it off. There's like an unbreakable connection between them. In the present time, the town has a memorial for Rachel. Stefan questions Damon's intentions with Paige.

Damon's POV  
I went inside my house with a pretty good attitude. Stefan's isn't here yet. He's still with Paige's friends. I was taken back with Paige prying into my personal life. I was in town feeding. I fucked up, I had blood on my face. I hope she doesn't make a big deal out of it. I don't want that to happen. Then the door opened. It was Stefan. He looked like he was deep in thought.  
"Did you have fun?" I asked.  
"Yeah." He said.  
"Why do you have blood on your face? Are you resorting back to your old ways?" He asked.  
"I knew this was coming." I said.  
"Why did you do it?" He asked.  
"I was hungry. I had nothing else better to do." I said.  
"You say the same thing when you want to shag someone." He said.  
"I feed on people because it's the best way to survive. Your lifestyle makes you weak." I said.  
He ignored what I said.  
"If you're upset about something. Purge." I said.  
"What are your intentions with Paige?" He asked.  
"I don't have any. I just want her to be safe." I said.  
"I know you. You have motives. You want something." He said.  
"No I don't. I guess you don't know me as well you'd hoped." I said.  
"She can take care of herself. Do you fancy her?" He said.  
"Have you ever had another relationship?" He asked.  
"It's been a long time." I said.  
"I find that hard to believe." He said.  
I didn't respond.  
"There's one girl. Her name was Bianca." I said.  
"What happened to her?" He asked.  
"She broke my heart." I said.  
Then I went to my room. I was lying awake in bed. I thought about how my relationship with Stefan has strained. He looks at me differently. I thought about Bianca and how she changed. She broke my heart.  
Nobody's POV  
There was teen couple snogging in a car. Intense passion was building between them. Something made a noise in the distance. They stopped.  
"What was that?" The girl asked.  
"I'm sure it was nothing." The boy said.  
They began to snog again. The noise started again.  
"Now you better check." The girl said.  
"I'll be right back." The boy said.  
"Be careful." The girl said.  
Then the boy went to investigate. He turned back because there was nothing there. Then he screamed because he got bit. The girl heard him. She went after him.  
"Jared?" The girl asked.  
She was frightened. She couldn't find him. She became worried.  
"Jared?!" She asked.  
she started to pace. She tripped on something. She looked back. It was Jared's dead body on the ground. She ran in the opposite direction. The monster caught up to her. She died instantly.  
Paige's POV  
I was in the woods. We were by the crime scene. My dad was there too. he was beside me.  
"What's going on?" I asked.  
"There's been another attack. Two victims completely drained of blood. It fits the pattern. The story for the town is another animal attack. I don't know how long we can keep lying to them." Dominique said.  
"Do you think it's the same one who killed Rachel Summers?" I asked.  
"Looks like it." She said.  
"Do you think there's more than one?" I asked.  
"We don't know." He said.  
"What are we going to do?" I asked.  
"We were hoping you could tell us." She said.  
"There needs to be vervain in the water supply." She said.  
"We'll see what we can do." He said.  
Then we left the crime scene. We went home. We didn't talk during the ride. We sat on the sofa. We turned on the telly to watch the news.  
"This is Dana Chandler coming to you live from the streets of Fells Church. There's been another deadly animal attack." She said.  
Then the headline said Emily Pierce and Jared Bradley found dead. Then my mobile rang.  
"Hello?" I asked.  
"Hi, Paige. I wanted to invite you to Rachel's memorial." She said.  
"Sure I'd love to." I said.  
"Great. I'll see you then." She said.  
Then I hung up the mobile. Then I went upstairs and got ready for the memorial. I'm doing this for Aria. She needs someone right now.  
Damon's POV  
I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about Bianca. I know it's over between us. It still bothers me that I let her become a monster. I rummaged through old boxes. I found her picture.  
Flashback  
I always traveled everywhere. I never had a place of my own. I was in a club. The music was really loud. I couldn't hear myself think. I was in the dance floor. Then I saw a girl dancing by herself. She was beautiful. I need to know her. She was looking at me. I went over to her. She had dark brown hair which was medium length, fair skin, and piercing blue eyes. She had a slim figure.  
"Hi." I said.  
"Hi." She said.  
"I noticed you were looking at me. I was wondering if you wanted to get to know each other." I said.  
"Well I look at lots of people. That doesn't mean I want to get to know them." She said.  
What just happened? Did she reject me? That's never happened to me before.  
She walked past me. She stopped and turned around.  
"Do you want me to want to get to know you?" She asked.  
"Uh ... I wouldn't mind." I said.  
"Come round to mine, yeah?" She said.  
"OK." I said.  
"I'm Damon." I said.  
"I'm Bianca." She said as I kissed her hand.  
She smiled faintly. Then we drove to her flat. Her flat looked interesting. It looked tidy.  
"So this is it." She said.  
"Nice." I said.  
We sat on the sofa.  
"What's your job?" I asked.  
"I work at a place that manages stocks. I don't know what to call it." She said.  
"Interesting." I said.  
Then she stood up. She went in the kitchen. She was in front of the fridge.  
"Do you fancy anything?" She asked.  
"Sure. What do you have?" I said.  
"I n." She said.  
"Lager's fine." I said.  
"Coming right up." She said.  
"I don't normally do this. I usually say no to guys who want to come over to my flat." She said.  
"Well that's a shame." I said.  
Then she poured beer into glasses. Then she sat next to me. She put her handbag on her lap. She rummaged through her stuff.  
"Do you mind if I smoke?" She asked.  
"No not at all." I said.  
"Do you want a fag?" She asked.  
"Sure." I said.  
I occasionally smoke. Then she lit mine. She lit hers as well. She took a drag.  
"What do you do?" She asked.  
"I'm an entrepreneur." I said.  
"Cool." She said.  
"What's your family like?" I asked.  
"Well it's usually just my mum and me. Dad's never around. My brother's away at uni." She said.  
"What about yours?" She asked.  
"Both much to say. Both of my parents died." I said.  
"I have a little brother. We're not close." I said.  
"What was your childhood like?" She asked.  
I had to think about this for a second. That was a part of my life; I didn't like to think about. I would have to be vulnerable. I don't like that. It's immensely hard because my emotions are heightened. There's a first time for everything.  
"I was very different when I was a child. I was a free spirit." I said.  
It's difficult for me to put my guard down. Something about her makes me want to.  
"I was mute during my childhood and until recently. No one asked me why. Not even my parents. I didn't have any friends." She said.  
"I always felt I was an alien. They try to understand, but they never do." She said.  
I was confused. Where did that come from? That was really profound.  
"Why would you think that?" I asked.  
She didn't say anything. She just smiled.  
"My childhood was pretty rough as well." I said.  
"Tell me about it." She said.  
"My mum died giving birth to my brother. I loved my mother. My outlook on life changed after that. My dad changed as well. He hated me because I looked like her. I was a disappointment to him. He wanted me to be someone I wasn't. She always made me feel special." I said.  
"Why are you even telling me this? We hardly know each other." She said.  
"I don't know." I said.  
"What's your biggest fear?" She asked.  
I never thought of my fears. I always think I'm not afraid of anything. I know I have fears. I just choose not to show them.  
"I don't have any." I said.  
"I'm not scared of anything." She said.  
"Can you describe yourself in a few words?" I asked.  
"Well I'm rebellious, manipulative, and selfish." She said.  
"I'm arrogant, selfish, and impulsive." I said.  
"Have you ever been in love?" She asked.  
"I've been in love. It's painful, pointless, and overrated." I said.  
"Love. Love. What's it good for? Absolutely nothing. " She said.  
I completely agree with her. She says profound things. I fancy her. I'm drawn to her. I hardly know each other. It's been a long time since I've been this close to someone. I've been wanting to kiss her for a long time. Probably since we met. Fuck it. I leaned in to kiss her. This doesn't mean I feel things. It's so much easier to turn it off. This isn't me. She kissed me back. Then she put her legs on her either side of my legs. She wrapped her arms around me. Then I tugged her hair. Then she took her top off. She was just in her bra. I put her arms around my waist. Then we moved so I was on top of her. She took off my shirt. She caressed my body. We snogged further.  
Paige's POV  
I was getting ready for the memorial. Should I wear black? Is that what people usually do? I decided I'm going to wear a black dress. I grabbed a jumper from the cupboard. I put it on. I went outside. I drove off. I parked outside the Calvary Chapel. I went outside. Then I entered the church. I saw Aria sitting down. I sat next to her.  
"How are you doing?" I asked.  
"I've been better." She said.  
Something's up with her.  
"I just feel guilty. I should've been there when she died. I've been having nightmares. In the dream, I'm beside her. I see her being murdered and I don't do anything to stop it. I feel helpless." She said.  
I wanted to cheer her up. I couldn't believe she actually thought it was her fault.  
"It's wasn't your fault. You had nothing to do with what happened." I said.  
"Yes I do. I was her friend. I should've been there for her." She said.  
"Are you sure you want to be here? We can go somewhere else. We can see a film at the cinema. You don't have you to do anything you don't want to do." I said.  
"No I want to be here. It's what she would have wanted." She said.  
Then I saw James and Violet. They sat next to us.  
"Hi." She said.  
"Alright?" I asked.  
"Everything's fine." She said.  
"And yourself?" She asked.  
"I'm fine." I said.  
"How's school going?" I asked.  
"It's great." She said.  
Then the service started.  
"Thanks for coming." She said.  
"No problem. We'll always be here for you." He said.  
The service mourned her life.  
Damon's POV Flashback  
It's been a week since Bianca and I shagged. I've never met anybody like her. It's different than the other times. I felt something for her. This hasn't happened to me in a long time. She hasn't ringed me back. I can't get her out of my head. I have to see her again. I'm driving to her flat. I parked in front of her house. I walked to her porch.  
"So Bianca. I was wondering why you didn't ring me back. I thought we had something..." I said to myself.  
I was ready to talk to her. I knocked on the door. She answered the door. She was wearing a grey silk dress, fishnet stockings, and bling necklaces.  
"Hi." She said.  
"Hi." I said.  
"It's good to see you." I said.  
She didn't say anything.  
"So how have you been?" I asked.  
"I'm fine." She said.  
"Why haven't ringed me back?" I asked.  
"You sound like a jealous boyfriend. Definitely not your most attractive look." She said.  
"Oh what is my most attractive look?" I asked.  
"Ah. I'm not saying you have any attractive looks. I'm just saying this is least my favourite one." She said.  
"Please don't make this is harder than it has to be. I thought we would shag and thought would be that. I thought we were just going to be friends." She said.  
"I know you want to forget what happened. Fine. But I can't." I said.  
"I don't want a relationship. I can't fall in love with anyone." She said.  
What's she on about?  
"So you're saying you didn't feel anything last night?" I asked.  
"No I didn't." She said.  
"We'd be good together. Don't you think?" I said.  
"No." She said simply.  
I was hurt.  
"Why?" I asked.  
"Because I'll break your heart." She said.  
"Maybe I'll break yours." I said.  
Then she looked at me straight in the eye.  
"Nobody breaks my heart. And anyway, why would I want that?" She said.  
I didn't answer.  
"Fuck. You're not like other girls. You're different. That's why I fancy you." I said.  
She didn't say anything.  
"I don't think we can be friends anymore." She said.  
"Why?" I asked.  
"You came to my house acting like you know me." She said.  
Were we ever?  
"I know you enough." I said.  
"I told you I don't want a relationship." She said.  
"I think you're afraid of relationships and getting hurt." I said.  
"I'm not afraid of anything." She said.  
"Well that's not true." I said.  
"I think it's time for you to leave." She said as she shut the door on my face.  
What am I supposed to feel now? I guess I feel disappointed. I thought it would work between us. Why do I destroy everything? Why can't I get the girl? I remember her mentioning that she goes to high school around here. I have to try again with her. What's going on with me? This isn't me.  
A few days later  
I was in the car park in the university in my blue Camaro. I noticed her straight away. She looked surprised. I got out of the car. She was standing on the grass, with a spliff in her hand.  
"What are you doing here?" She asked.  
"I came to see you." I said.  
"I don't date." She said.  
"Neither do I. I think we have something." I said.  
"You never give up, do you?" She asked.  
"Only if you go on a date with me." I said.  
"That's not going to happen." She said.  
"Then I'll be here all day. How can you be so sure?" I said.  
"Ok fine I'll go out with you." She said.  
"Alright. Where?" I asked.  
"I'll go anywhere." She said.  
"Do you like Italian?" I asked.  
"Who doesn't?" She asked.  
"I like you. You know how to laugh." I said.  
She smiled. She has a cute smile.  
"OK sounds like a plan." I said.  
"I'll pick you up at seven." I said.  
Then I turned away from her. I went back inside my car. I drove off. I'm not sure what's going to happen on our date. I'm drawn to her. I'm used to getting what I want. I love a challenge. She hasn't show any interest in me. I think she tries to hide her emotions. I do the same thing.  
Music  
Alex and Sierra-Little do you know  
Silversun Pickups-sort of  
Rachel Diggs-hands of time  
Peter Bradley Adams-between us  
Dashboard Confessional-vindicated


	8. Unpleasantville

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paige supports Aria by attending Rachel's memorial. Damon takes Bianca out on a date. She finally lets him in. Paige try outs for field hockey and there she meets new friends.

Paige's POV  
I was getting ready for the memorial. I put on a black frock because it is wee bit chilly out there. I left a note on the kitchen table, to tell my dad I had left. I grabbed a pull over in the coat closet. I drove to the Calvary Chapel. I parked into a parking spot. I walked inside the church. I saw Aria.

"How are you doing?" I asked.

"I've been better." She said.

I can tell something's up with her. Is she alright?

"I just feel guilty. I should've been there when she died. I've been having nightmares. In the dream I'm always beside her. I'm with her in the woods. I see her being killed and I can't do anything stop it. I feel so hopeless." She said.

I wanted to cheer her up. I couldn't believe she actually thought this was her fault.

"It's not your fault. You had nothing to do with what happened." I said.

"Yes it is. I was her friend. I should've been there for her." She said.

"Are you sure you want to be here? I mean we can go somewhere else. We can go see a film at the cinema if it's too much for you. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do." I said.

"No I want to be here for her. That's what she would have wanted." She said.

Then I saw James and Violet have arrived. They met up with us.

"Hey." I said.

"Hi." Aria said.

"Thanks for coming. It really appreciate it." Aria said.

"You guys are good friends. Thanks." She said.

"We'll always be here for you." James said.

"I wouldn't know what to do if you weren't here. I would be miserable." Aria said.

Then the memorial started. The memorial mourned her life. We went to the luncheon afterwards.

I'm at the luncheon. I was sitting on the sofa. Violet was sitting next to me.

"How did your date with James go?" I asked.

"It was lovely." She said.

"How's your family?" I asked.

"Fine." She said.

I stood up to get some food. I grabbed a sandwich. I sat down.

"Have you read any cool books lately?" I asked.

"Yeah totally. I'm reading this book called "The sky is everywhere". It's heartbreaking. I cried during some bits." She said.

"I'm reading this other book called "Under the never sky". I'm really enjoying. It's confusing at some bits though." She said.

"What about you?" She asked.

"Nothing really. I've been busy." I said.

Then the luncheon ended. I drove home.

Damon's POV

I was front of Bianca's flat. I knocked on the door. She was wearing a short black dress with a jean jacket. Her hair was in messy waves. She had on black boots and fish net stockings. She had on smoky eye make up.

"You look beautiful." I said.

"Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself." She said.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked.

"Yeah." She said.

Then we went inside my car. I drove off. We didn't talk on the way there. We arrived at the restaurant. I opened the door for her. We went inside. They led us to our table. We sat down across from each other.

"How are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm alright." She said.

I read her mind because she never tells me what she's feeling.

I hate it that he wants to know what I'm feeling. It would be easier if he left me alone.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked.

"No." She said simply.

I can tell she's not telling me the truth. I read her mind again.

I hate that he wants to get to get close to me. He wants to get to know me. I don't know what to do with this feeling. Should I let him in? I might fancy him. I have never felt that way about anyone.

I surprised to hear what she's thinking. I think she hides what she feels.

"I can tell you're lying." I said.

"I'm not." She said.

"You're obviously in love with me." I said.

She laughed.

"Only in your dreams." She said.

Why does she do that a lot? Why doesn't she say what she's feeling? I decided to read her mind.

It scares me to fall in love with someone. When people fall in love, it tears them apart. Why would want anyone want to risk that?

"I'm not going to hurt you." I said.

"How do you know?" She asked.

"I'm not sure. You're just going to have to trust me." I said.

She didn't say anything.

"Have you ever been close to anyone before?" I asked.

"I'm close to my brother, Sean. My best friend, Juniper." She said.

"What's he like?" I asked.

"He's amazing." I said.

We got served. We ate our food. After we finished our meal. We went back to her flat. We were outside her flat.

"Thanks for dinner." She said.

"No problem." I said.

I want to kiss her. I leaned in to kiss her. We went inside the flat. Her back was against the wall. Our hands are all over each other. Then we moved to her bedroom. We crashed onto the bed. I was on top of her. I took off her dress. I caressed her body. Then she took off my shirt. She caressed my body.

The morning after  
I woke up to Bianca gone. Maybe last night was a dream. I saw a note on the pillow. I didn't read it. I'm really upset. I don't know why I am. This is the way she is. Then I saw her. She was sitting on the edge of the bed. She was in her pyjamas.

"Are you leaving?" I asked.

"What happened last night was a mistake. It can't happen again." She said.

"So you're saying that you didn't feel anything last night." I said.

"You make me feel things that I absolutely cannot feel." She said.

"Are we back to that?" I asked.

"No it's not that. I don't want this. I have to go." She said.

"Why do you keep running?" I asked.

"Because it's the only thing I know." She said.

"What if you didn't? What if you stayed?" I asked.

"I can't. I just can't." She said.

"What are you afraid of?" I asked.

"I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid of anything." She said.

"We can try it." I said.

"I don't know." She said.

She moved toward me. She kissed me. I got on top of her. We kissed further.

Paige's POV

I was involved with sports at my old school. My favourite sports to play are field hockey and softball. The tryouts are being held after school. I'm in the locker room getting dressed into work out clothes. I put my hair in pony tail. I went outside to the field. I ran over there. There was a table to get your number and sign in. The coach was waiting for all of us. She was young. She had medium long brown hair that was in a pony tail. She had fair skin. She was pretty. She looked like she was in her mid thirties. She told us to sit on the grass. We did as we were told. I saw two girls that were in my art class. I forgot their names.

"Aren't you in my art class?" I asked.

"Yeah I'm Cassidy. Paige, right? It's a small school. Word travels fast." She said.

I nodded. I assumed that everyone knows my name by now.

"It's like the first grade all over again. You're the shiny new toy." She said.

She had sandy brown hair that went past her chest area. She was tall. She looked about 176 centimeters. She's beautiful. I noticed that the other girl hasn't said anything.

"Hi." I said.

Then Cassidy looked at the other girl and then at me.

"She's shy." She said.

"I'm Jessamine." She said.

She had long auburn hair that went past her waist. She was average height.

"Is she a good coach?" I asked.

"Yeah but she can be a bitch sometimes. She's competitive." Cassidy said.

Tryouts montage

Then the coach told us to sit on the grass again. Then she read off the players that made the team. My number got called and so did Cassidy and Jessamine. Then the coach dismissed us to the locker room. Cassidy and Jessamine ran up to me.

"What position are you going to play?" Cassidy asked.

"I play forward." I said.

"Yeah same." Cassidy said.

"What about you?" I asked.

"I play defender." Jessamine said.

"Nice." I said.

Then I went inside the locker room.

Music

Aidan Hawken-Crush

Aqualung-Strange and beautiful

The Afters-Ocean wide

The Go Team!-Huddle formation


	9. Down the rabbit hole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paige goes to the football game and she meets a family friend of hers. Damon and Bianca have been inseparable. Evgerything seems good. They're happy. She starts to lose it. He tries everything he can to help her. She needs him now more than ever.

Paige's POV  
I got dressed in the locker room. I carried my duffel bag with me. Then I walked back to go home. I saw the cheerleaders practising their routine. I saw Aria. She was at the top of the pyramid. Then the pyramid collapsed. They gathered their duffel bags and went to the locker room. I ran over to her.

"Paige!" She shouted.

"Hi." I said.

"I didn't know you were a cheerleader." I said.

"Yeah. Sorry I didn't mention it." She said.

Then I noticed she was beside two other girls. I've seen them around. I think I have both of them in my classes. I'm not sure.

"Paige this is Olivia. Olivia this is Paige." Aria said.

"It's pleasure to meet you." I said.

"Likewise." Olivia said.

She had long blond hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. She was very pretty. The other girl's name is Gabrielle. She said to call her Gabby. She had long dark brown hair, creamy olive skin, and brown eyes. She was pretty as well.

"We should go out. I feel like we haven't gone out in ages." Aria said.

"We went out last week." I said.

"Well I want to go out again. It was loads of fun. Do you fancy that?" Aria said.

"Sure I'd like that." I said.

"Great." Aria said.

"Just let me change. Then we'll go. Does that sound good?" Aria said.

"Yeah." I said.

Then we came out of the lockers.

"We should go to Daphne's Coffee Shop." I said.

"Sure." She said.

"I'll meet you there." She said.

That's where I work. We drove in separate cars. I parked outside of the coffee shop. We both went inside. We sat down. We ordered our drinks.

"So how long have you known Olivia and Gabby?" I asked.

"Oh. I have know them since middle school." She said.

"I think you should meet Nathan. You'd fancy him." She said.

"Looking forward to it." I said.

Then Damon came inside the coffee shop. I didn't want him to see me. I turned away from looking at him.

"What are you staring at?" She asked.

"Oh nothing." I said.

"Oh come on. Let's see." She said.

Then she saw him.

"Oh he's well fit. Does he fancy you as much as you fancy him?" She said.

"Aria would you please just drop it?" I asked.

"It's natural, Paige. You must fancy him in less you wouldn't be looking at him." She said.

"I don't fancy him. We're just friends." I said.

"Alright. Suit Yourself." She said.

Then Damon saw me.

"He's coming this way." She said.

"Oh great." I said.

Then all of sudden he was right in front of us.

"Hi there." He said.

"Hi." I said.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I'm here with my friend." I said.

"Oh." He said.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" He asked.

"No not at all." I said.

Then he sat down next to me.

"It's great to see you. I was wondering when I'd see you again." I said.

"How's Stefan?" I asked.

"He's fine." He said.

"Are you two shagging?" She asked.

"Aria." I said.

Blood rose to my cheeks.

"Oh my god! Your cheeks are red. You totally fancy him." She said.

I was embarrassed. Why would she say something like that?

"I should probably go. My dad's probably worried about me." I said.

Then I stood up. Damon looked disappointed. I don't know what he wants from me. It wasn't a good idea to come here. Aria's getting the wrong idea about him and me. I don't fancy him. I hardly know him. Then Aria and I got in the car.

"I never seen you act like this. Did I do something wrong?" She said.

I knew this was coming.

"No I just caught off guard." I said.

"I'm sorry. I pushed you like that. I didn't mean it for it to go that far." She said.

"No it's fine." I said.

"No it's not. I fucked up." She said.

"It's not your fault. My reaction was wrong." I said.

"We should watch the football game together." She said.

"Sure. I'd like that." He said.

Then I went to my house. My dad was sitting on the sofa.

"I'm going to a football game with Aria." I said.

"I never heard of Aria." He said.

"I made new friends." I said.

"I can see that." He said.

I can tell he was upset that I didn't tell him about Damon.

"Look I know you're angry. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Damon. I thought you would try to protect me." I said.

"It's my job to protect you." He said.

"I know." I said.

"Don't ever do that again." He said.

"I won't." I said.

I hugged him.

"I love you." I said.

"I love you too." He said.

Then we went upstairs to room to get ready for the football game. I drove to the high school. I parked in the car park. I went out of the car. I went upstairs to the bleachers. I looked for my friends. Aria was cheering with the rest of the cheer squad. She smiled at me. I smiled back. I sat down. After the game was over, I went over to my friends.

"Come I want you to meet Nathan and Cole." Aria said.

"Very well." I said.

I went down to the field. Nathan and Cole were beside them. I recognised Nathan straight away. We used to hunt together when we were little kids. He was handsome. He had shaggy dark brown hair, brown eyes, and tan skin.

"Paige is that you?" Nathan asked.

We hugged each other. I realised I haven't met Cole yet.

"It's been ages." Nathan said.

"It certainly." I said.

"Do you two know each other?" Aria asked.

"We used to play together when we were little kids." I said.

"Is that so?" Aria asked.

"You never mentioned him." She said.

"Well I was rather preoccupied with other stuff." I said.

"We should go out or something. It's been a while we last went out." She said.

"We only went out a couple days ago. Why so soon?" I said.

"Well the night is young. You only live once." She said.

"What about everything that's been going on? I don't think it's a good idea." I said.

"Especialy with that's been going on. Everything's been depressing as fuck. Time to have some fun. If you know what I mean." She said.

I don't like the sound of that. It seems too soon. Not to mention insensitive. Innocent people died. We shouldn't be celebrating. However I don't see the need to argue.

"Fine if you say so." I said.

A smile washed over her face.

"Great." She said.

"Alright. I'll let the girls know." She said.

Then I went to the car park. I got in the car. I drove to the grill.

Damon's POV

Flashback

Ever since we shagged last time. We've been inseparable. We haven't been able to keep our hands off each other. I haven't felt this way about anyone in a long time. I think I'm in love. I want to tell her. I don't know how she'll react. I went to her flat. I knocked on the door. She answered.

"I knew it was you." She said.

She kissed me. She wrapped her legs around me. We crashed onto the bed. I kissed her neck. She moaned. I got off her. I laid down next her.

"We're going out." I said.

"Where?" She asked.

"Out." I said.

We went outside to my car. We drove to a meadow nearby. There was grass as far as you can see.

"Why the fuck did you bring me here?" She asked.

She sounded upset.

"It's fresh air, remember? Look at it! We need to get away, yeah?" I said.

"Yeah. Good to get away." She said.

We saw a bunch of mums with prams and children with kites. I parked in the car park nearby. Then we chased each other like school children. She laughed. I love her laugh. We chased each other around trees.

"Damon! Come back. Damon! Stop it. Stop it." She said.

She almost got me whilst I was on the ground. She laughed. I got on top of her. She laughed again.

"No! No!" She said.

She caressed my face. I put my hands on either side of her. I caressed her hair and face.

"I totally fucking love you." I said.

I waited for her to say it back.

"Now's the bit you say." I said.

"Don't move." She said.

I realised she was looking up at the clouds. I got off her. I lied with her. I looked up at the sky.

"There's Will." I said.

"Their faces, behind the skin." She said.

I'm confused. What's she on about?

"Skin?" I asked.

"Between this world and the next." She said.

She took a deep breath.

"Their teeth and their claws coming out, trying to break through." She said.

I was worried. Is something wrong?

"Did you drop something in the cab?" I asked.

"Like a fart or something?" She asked.

"No, like a tab or something." I said.

"A tab with your face on it." She said.

"Here." She said as she pointed to my heart.

"Your heart that fits mine." I said.

"From the moment I saw you, I knew you'd be the closest I get to being close. I didn't know what to do with that feeling. Happiness." She said.

I had to let her know that I felt the same way. I got on top of her.

"Listen Izzy, you're the closest I'll ..." I said.

I kissed her.

"They know now and their hungry. Really fucking hungry. Because as long as I've known, they've been chasing me. Now they're ready. Now they're strong enough to break through. I can't fight them. I used to be able to when I was strong but you've made me weak. Now I can't. I can't." She said.

I felt so bad for her. Is there anything I can do to stop her demons?

"Izzy. There's no one fucking there." I said.

"Ugh. I can't. Let me go." She said.

"Izzy. Listen what do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Stay here." I said.

"They're ready now." She said.

She kept looking back to see if the monsters were there.

"They're coming." She said.

"I'll fight them. Is that going to stop them? I'll fucking fight them." I said as I ran off to fight them.

"Fuck off! Fuck off! You cunts! I'll kill you all. Fuck off!" I said.

I began to shout at the monsters. I started to laugh. I walked back to where she was. Her expression changed. I put my hands on my knees.

"I have to go home." She said as she shook her head.

I was confused. I thought we were happy.

"What?" I asked.

"Get me the fuck out of here, Damon. Please." She said.

We walked to the car. I helped her in the car. I buckled her seatbelt. I drove off. I parked in front of her house. I carried to her bed bridal style. I tucked her in. I lied next to her.

"Are you alright now?" I asked.

"Much better." She said.

Then I was about to leave.

"Will you stay with me?" She asked.

"I'll stay here until you fall asleep." I said.

Then we fell asleep in each other's arms.

Music

Lykke li-Little bit

The Black Keys-strange times

Bonnie Prince Billy-Ebb tide


	10. She's come undone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paige reconnects with an old friend of hers. Bianca's demons are even worse than before. She's been in the hospital since she attempted to take her own life. She finds out something about Damon. It changes things between them.

Paige’s POV  
I was at the grill, sitting next my friends. They were talking about all kinds of stuff. Not a lot of people were there. I was talking with Nathan.  
"Are you still hunting with your dad?" I asked.  
He was a good hunter when I knew him.  
"How's Emma?" I asked.  
That's his sister. Last time I saw him, she wasn't a part of the hunting business yet.  
"She's fine." He said.  
"Is she hunting?" I asked.  
"She's training right now." He said.  
"I heard you have a girlfriend." I said.  
"Yeah." He said.  
"How long have you been seeing her?" I asked.  
"We've been together for three years." He said.  
I was well knackered. I have an interest in what was going on with him. I used to have a crush on him. I hope we can still be friends. I'll be disappointed if we can't. He's always been really nice. Then I went home.  
Damon's POV Flashback  
I went to visit her flat.  
"Bi? Bi, you home?" I called.  
"Bi?" I asked.  
She wasn't anywhere around. I went upstairs to look for her. She was sitting on her bed. She was going through some stuff. The room was untidy. We haven't been talking.  
"Bi, what are you doing in here?" I asked.  
She was looking through a book. She didn't answer. I looked around the room. Pictures about war and violence were plastered all around the walls.  
"Bianca." I said.  
I knelt down in front of the bed. She laughed.  
"What?" I asked.  
She laughed again.  
"What is it?" I asked.  
"Found my porn stash." She said.  
She smiled again. I was getting really worried. She needs help. I can't do this on my own.  
"Bianca..." I said.  
"To make it easier." She said.  
She held a picture in her hand. She's starting not to make sense.  
"Alright. What the fuck did you take because you're not making any sense?" I said.  
"Easier to accept." She said as she moved around the pictures.  
"Accept?" I asked.  
"The end." She said.  
"End. And what fucking end would that be?" I asked.  
She looked me straight in the eye.  
"Mine, Damon." She said.  
I'm. She continued looking at the pictures. Eventually, she fell asleep. I looked after her. I circled the scar on her forehead. I tried to pass the time by doing all sorts of things. I was smoking a spliff. I looked in the refrigerator to see if there's any food. I made her some food and put it on the tray. I carried it to her room. I placed it on the bed side table. I opened the curtains so she would wake up.  
"Alright?" I asked.  
She poured vodka in her cereal. She giggled.  
"Hunky-fucking dory." She said.  
"Alright." I said.  
"Maybe just calm it down a bit, yeah?" I said as I took the vodka away from her access.  
She looked at me like she was kind of upset.  
"I'm not the one grinding my teeth." She said.  
"Both of us. For a bit." I said.  
I know that her exams are coming up. She needs to be prepared.  
"Or do you want to fuck up your A levels?" I asked.  
She smiled. Then she pushed me down on the bed. She got on top of me.  
"Hmm." She said.  
She kissed me. I was totally confused. I slowly got up from under her.  
"Bianca, please, just drop the dark shit, yeah?" I said.  
"Hm." She said.  
She got on top of me again.  
"Bianca, Bianca, Bi, listen, right?" I said.  
I got up from under her.  
"OK, it's me. OK? Me." I said.  
"And this is me." She said.  
"Jesus, I thought we were happy." I said.  
"Too fucking happy." She said.  
"What, so you want to end it now? Is that what you're trying to say?" I asked.  
"No." She said simply.  
"It's gonna happen." She said.  
"Why are you head-fucking me, Bi? Cos I can't handle it?" I asked.  
"Better fuck off then." She said.  
Is she being serious? I gave her exactly what she wants. I left her alone. I gave her some time to cool off a bit. I drove to her flat. She's been sending text messages telling me to come back. I ringed Bianca. The voice mail picked up.  
Hey it's me whoever it is. So leave or whatever and leave a message.  
"Oh come on, Bianca. Pick up." I said while driving.  
I knocked on the door. No one answered. I went inside. I went upstairs. I knocked on her bedroom door. There was a banner on the wall that read goodbye.  
"Come on, Bi. Let me in. I have to talk to you." I said while I was knocking on the door.  
"Bianca, let me in please." I said.  
"Bianca, can you open this fucking door?" I asked.  
I tried to wiggle the door knob. Then I entered the room. The room was the same.  
"Bianca?" I asked.  
I paced the room a bit. No one was there.  
"You didn't reply." She said.  
I knew that voice. It was her voice. I couldn't see her. Then I looked under the bed. She was lying on the floor under the bed.  
"I didn't want to be on my own." She said.  
I laid down on the carpet to face her.  
"Bianca, what the fuck is going on?" I asked.  
"I'm sorry." I said.  
"I'm sorry I shouted at you as well." I said.  
She reached for my hand. I held her hand.  
"I'm really taking a piss this time." I said.  
"Yeah." She said.  
"I thought that was me. I didn't know what it is. I know you're the only person I can trust." She said.  
"Bianca, nothing bad is going to happen. I'm going to take care of you now. I promise." I said.  
The next day came along. I went to her flat. Then I went to her room. She was asleep on her stomach. I knelt down on my knees. I moved her bottle of vodka to the bedside table.  
"Rise and shine." I said.  
She was being stubborn. She was trying to stay asleep. I got off my knees.  
"OK. We're gonna stop this. This has to stop now." I said.  
I turned her over so she was lying on her back. She slowly awoke from slumber. I sat down on the bed. She put her head on my shoulder.  
"Come on." I said as I led her out of the room.  
I led her to the loo. She sat on the toilet. I undressed her out of her clothes. I helped her get in the bath tub. I washed her. She put her hands through her hair. I helped her dress. I knelt down in front of her to put on her shoes. I looked up at her.  
"All done." I said.  
Then I led her back down to her room.  
"How do you feel?" I asked.  
"Much better. Thank you." She said.  
"No problem." I said.  
"Not just for this, Damon. For everything. I don't know what I would do if you weren't here." She said.  
I kissed her. She kissed back. Then we were on the bed. I was on top of her. After that I went back to my house. I took out my laptop to do some research. I researched all types of depression. I think Bianca has psychotic depression. They were all kinds. My brother has depression. I went to her flat.  
"Hi." She said as she wrapped her arms around me.  
"We have to talk, OK?" I said.  
"What about?" I asked.  
Then I gestured her to sit with me.  
"Sit with me." I said.  
"Alright." She said as she sat down beside me.  
"Is something wrong?" She asked.  
"Tell me or I'll go mad." She said.  
"Bianca, you're going away for a little a while. You're going somewhere where they can help you. I can't handle it. I can't do this on my own." I said.  
She looked discouraged.  
"You don't want me around anymore. That's it. You want me to go away." She said.  
"It's not forever. It will be like a holiday. I'll come visit you everyday. It will be better. This will be a good thing. You can count on me. I promise." I said.  
"You want to get rid of me. I know it. Just like my parents. People think I have it all together. But I don't. You're sending me to the looney bin." She said.  
"Everything's going to be alright." I said.  
"I can't go back there again. You can't make me." She said.  
"What happened the last time you went to the hospital?" I asked.  
"I don't want to talk about it." She said.  
"That's fine." I said.  
"You promised me that you'd take care of me." She said.  
"I did. I promised that I'd take care of you and this is me keeping that promise." I said.  
Then I took her to the mental hospital. I told the receptionist who Bianca was. I looked away for one second. She was no where to be found. She just disappeared. I looked everywhere. She could hurt herself. I don't know. I put my hands on both of my face in frustration. I ran to the toilets.  
"No, no, no." I said.  
The door was locked. I pushed the door with all my strength. It wouldn't budge. So I kicked the door. The door opened. She was sitting on the floor with her wrists slit. She's bleeding. She tried to take her own life. I got on the floor with her. I began to cry. I can't lose her.  
"Bi." I cried.  
I held on to her.  
"Help! Someone help!" I cried.  
I continued to cry and hold on to her. Then I took her to the hospital. I don't know what I would do if she didn't exist. I can't manage without her. I'm waiting room pacing. I sat near her.  
"Go away." She said as she turned her head away from me.  
Then one of the nurses escorted me out of the room. A few days went by without a word. Then the nurses told me she wanted to see me. I was sitting on a chair looking after her. She slowly woke up.  
"Good. You're awake." I said.  
"How are you feeling?" I asked.  
"Never better." She said.  
"That's great." I said.  
"This is me happy." She said.  
She smiled. I haven't seen that smile in a while.  
"Bianca, don't ever do that again. You scared the shit out of me." I said.  
She didn't say anything.  
"I can't manage without you." I said.  
"I know." She said.  
"I didn't mean what I said to you. I'm so stupid." She said.  
"Shh. It's fine. We're together. We'll be together." I said.  
I kissed her forehead. Then I laid down next to her. I didn't want her to go but it was the best thing for her. I'll miss her everyday. She's my whole world.  
Paige's POV  
I woke up in the morning. I was ready to start the day. I missed my friends. I saw Aria by her locker.  
"Hey, what are you doing?" I asked.  
"I'm doing well." She said.  
"I figured." I said.  
Then I saw the student body putting up posters that read "Homecoming princess voting" and "Class President".  
"You should run for Year 11 president." She said.  
"I don't know. That's not really my thing. Someone else will make a better one than me." I said.  
"Don't be silly. You'll make a great president." She said.  
"I guess I could give it a try." I said.  
"That's going to be exciting. Are you excited?" She said.  
"Yeah sure." I said.  
I don't think I'd make a good president. I'll probably be a laughing stock. I just transferred to this high school. There's someone better for the job.  
"I could be your campaign manager." She said.  
I don't know what to say.  
"Yeah sure." She said.  
"We'll make posters after school. You'll win for sure." She said.  
"Why don't you run for president? You seem interested in it." I said.  
"I'm not the student government type. You have enough spunk to win. Everybody loves you." She said.  
"No they don't." I said.  
"You're just being modest. I think Nathan fanycys you." She said.  
"No he doesn't." I said.  
"Do you want to try that again?" She asked.  
"It doesn't matter. He has a girlfriend." I said.  
"I think he still fancies you." She said.  
"It was just a crush, you twat." I said.  
"You had a crush on him. I don't blame you. He's well fit." She said.  
"I was thirteen, OK?" I said.  
"OK. Suit yourself." She said.  
"Oh come on. Don't be like that." I said.  
"Alright. I'll see you later, yeah?" She said.  
After School  
Then I left school. My dad was in the garden gardening. My mum used to do that. Now my dad does it. I went beside him.  
"I remember mum used to love gardening." I said.  
My dad was by her side everyday when she was ill. He loved her that much. I wish I could've been there as well. I don't know why I didn't. I wish I could go back and be by her side.  
"Yeah she did. What's wrong?" He said.  
He doesn't like to talk about her. He always changes the subject.  
"Aria's coming round." I said  
I went inside the house. There was a knock on the door.  
"Hi." I said.  
"Hi." She said.  
"Come on in." I said.  
"You have a lovely home." She said.  
"How are you doing?" I asked.  
"I'm well." She said.  
Montage of Decorating posters  
Damon's POV  
I'm going to the hospital to visit Bianca. I told the receptionist I was here. I went inside her room. She was awake.  
"I knew you'd come." She said.  
I kissed her. She kissed me back. I crawled on top of her. She wrapped her arms around me. I laid down next to her.  
"I missed you." She said.  
"I missed you too." I said.  
"How are you?" I asked.  
"Everything's great." She said.  
I knew she was lying. She was having a hard time.  
"Really?" I asked.  
"No not really. I'm miserable here. It would be better if you were here. I wish you didn't have to go." She said.  
I laughed.  
"Have you made any friends?" I asked.  
"I don't have any friends. I think I might." She said.  
"What's her name?" I asked.  
"Her name's Grace." She said.  
"I'd like to meet her." I said.  
"Maybe." She said.  
Then the nurse came to tell me that visiting hours are over.  
"I'll come back soon." I said.  
"I'll be waiting." She said.  
"I love you. You should know that." I said.  
"I love you too." She said.  
Later  
I was feeding in an alley. I'm usually careful about these kind of things. I saw someone walk by the alley. I recognised the voice right away. It was Bianca and some voice I didn't recognise. I tried to think quickly and dispose of the body.  
"Damon, what are you doing here?" She asked.  
"Nothing I was just..." I said.  
She told her mates to leave.  
"Don't you dare lie to me." She said.  
"Damon, we're close enough now. I deserve to know what's going on." She said.  
"Don't panic. I need to tell you something." I said.  
"You can tell me anything. I trust you." She said,  
I don't like that she trusts me. I've broken hearts before. If I tell her what I am, she may never want to see me again. I don't want to lose her. I totally fucking love her. I took a deep breath.  
"You aren't gay, are you?" She asked.  
"No of course not." I said.  
"What's going on?" She asked.  
I didn't answer.  
"What are you?!" She asked.  
"I'm a vampire." I said.  
"What? There's no such thing as vampires." She said.  
"Yes they are. They're real. I'm one of them." I said.  
"I don't believe you. Is this some kind of mind fuck?" She said.  
"Yes I am and I can prove it." I said.  
I ran as fast as I could.  
"Now do you believe me?" I asked.  
"I could break your body so fast you wouldn't even blink." I said as I moved closer to him.  
She moved away from me. She looked scared. That's a look I've never seen on her before.  
"I used to think you were like me attracted to the darkness. But Damon, you are the darkness." She said  
"I shouldn't have come. From now on, stay away from me. I won't tell your secret. I can't be a part of this." She said.  
Then she walked away from me.  
Bianca's POV  
I can't believe I let this go on for so long. I felt scared. I don't want to be scared. In the alley I felt utterly week like I needed someone to come in and rescue me. I hate that feeling. I want to feel stronger than that. In some twisted way, I was intrigued to find out about his secret. It sounds absolutely thrilling. You cab be anything you want to be. Live forever. I went back on the bus. My friend, Grace is sitting next to me. It was a film day where the patients go on a field trip to see a film at the cinema.  
"What happened back there?" She asked.  
"Oh nothing. I think we just broke up." I said.  
"Really? Why?" She asked.  
"I'm not talking about it." I said.  
"Alright. Suit yourself." She said.  
Then arrived at the mental hospital. I went to my room. I locked the door behind me. I put my hands on the side of my face in frustration. I grabbed my bottle of vodka in my hiding place. I took a swig of vodka. I went to lye down. I fell asleep. I woke up because I had a therapy session with my counselor, John Foster. I got dressed into a hospital gown. I put my hair in a high ponytail. I walked over to his room. I knocked on the door. He answered. He was middle aged. He had greying hair. He had piercing blue eyes.  
"Bianca, it's good to see you." He said.  
"Take a seat." He said.  
I entered the room. I sat down.  
"What are you thinking about?" He asked.  
"Nothing. My brother." I said.  
"Something happened to him, didn't it?" He said.  
"Lot's of things happened to him. He was born almost a month late. He won a poetry competition when he was eight, where he met Sarah Ferguson. He got the highest mark on the first year essay on history." I said.  
I wanted to talk about the good stuff that happened to him. I know it's inevitable though.  
"And somewhere in there. He was hit by a bus, nearly killed, right?" He said.  
"Why that? Why not the good stuff?" I asked.  
"Because I'm not interested in it." He said.  
He leaned in closer to me.  
"Tell me what happened to your brother, Bianca." He said.  
"From the start." He said.  
After the therapy session , I thought about what happened with Damon. I want him to be like him, so all the bad stuff can go away. They're paintings on the walls to help you feel calm. I knew one thing for certain, that it wasn't working. I was still upset. I walked through the garden to clear my head. I read my book. My mum's visiting me. She found a jumper on the table. I knew it was Damon's straight away.  
"Who does this belong to?" She asked.  
"It's Damon's." I said.  
"What do you want me to do with it?" She asked.  
"I'll keep it." I said.  
She handed it to me. I smelt the material. It smelt just like him. I missed him. She helped me put it on. The therapy session continued. I finally got the courage to talk about the car crash. My eyes were closed for the exercise.  
"There's a bus coming. Will doesn't see it. He's distracted. It hits him. It runs him over. He's in the gutter and he's bleeding. He looks dead." I said.  
"Open your eyes." He said.  
"Well done, Bianca." He said.  
"It's taken you three weeks to tell me that story." He said.  
I feel sick to my stomach like I want to vomit.  
"How do you feel?" He asked.  
"I feel awful." I said.  
"I'd like to try something new. I want to close your eyes again." He said.  
"Now imagine the bus never hit Will." He said.  
I was confused.  
"But it did hit him." I said.  
"It's just an exercise." He said.  
"Try to imagine it never happened." He said.  
I closed my eyes.  
"What do you see?" He asked.  
"Will standing in the road. He's laughing." I said.  
"Good." He said.  
Then I left the room. I kept thinking about Damon and what he is. I have to make the bad things to go away. I have to be turned or I'll go mad.  
Music  
Arctic Monkeys-Florescent Adolescent  
Stina nordenstam-fireworks  
Sparklehouse-Hey, Joe  
Sia-You've changed  
Bonnie "Prince" Billy-Ebbe tide  
Hope Sandoval and the warm inventions-Charlotte  
Mikko Ekko-Who are you really?  
Florence + machine-blinding


End file.
